Gypsy King hopes to tee up Anthony Joshua showdown as he ends latest retirement at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tyson Fury is in confident mood ahead of facing Arslanbek Makhmudov
Getty Images for Netflix
George Flood
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Tyson Fury returns to the boxing ring tonight to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov in a huge London fight.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion, 37, is back in the ring for the first time since the second of his successive points defeats by Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh in December 2024, after which he retired once again lamenting what he felt was an unjust result as he failed to win the unified titles having lost his WBC belt in an initial undisputed showdown seven months earlier.
However, it was always expected that Fury would return, likely for a huge money-spinning showdown with long-time rival Anthony Joshua, and he repeatedly hinted as much before officially announcing his comeback in January, with an April date against Makhmudov confirmed.
Makhmudov, 36, is a Russian heavyweight based in Canada who has a professional record of 21-2 with 19 knockouts. He last fought in Sheffield in October, when he beat David Allen by unanimous decision.
Both of those defeats have come in his last five bouts, with Makhmudov stopped by now interim WBC champion Agit Kabayel in the fourth round in Riyadh in 2023 on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card ahead of Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker and Joshua vs Otto Wallin, losing his WBC-NABF and WBA Inter-Continental titles.
Arslanbek Makhmudov picked Tyson Fury up at their final press conference
AFP via Getty Images
After bouncing back with an early knockout of Miljan Rovcanin, he was then upset by Italy’s Guido Vianello in the summer of 2024 in a rematch of their World Series of Boxing clash after gruesome swelling around his left eye forced the ringside doctor to wave off the bout at the start of round eight.
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Makhmudov responded with a first-round knockout of Jamaican Ricardo Brown in Quebec City, before travelling to the UK to defeat Allen.
Fury’s comeback comes amid yet more speculation that a fight with Joshua has been agreed, with renewed suggestions that it could take place in Dublin in the autumn.
Joshua last fought by knocking out Jake Paul in Miami in December, though his boxing future looked uncertain after he subsequently sustained minor injuries in a car accident in Nigeria in which two of his close friends and team members died.
Eddie Hearn has said that they have been “very focused” on making the Fury fight, but also did not rule out Joshua - who was in attendance at the O2 Arena - potentially facing another long-time rival in Deontay Wilder, who called him out in person after defeating Derek Chisora in a thrilling contest by split decision last weekend.
Joshua is also expected to be ringside for Fury vs Makhmudov.
Fury vs Makhmudov fight date and venue
Fury vs Makhmudov takes place today, Saturday April 11, 2026 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Fury vs Makhmudov fight time and ring walks
Saturday night’s main card is due to begin at 7pm BST, which is 2pm ET and 11am PT in the United States.
Fury and Makhmudov are expected to make their ring walks after 10pm BST, 5pm ET and 2pm PT. The fight should be underway at approximately 10:30pm BST (5:30pm ET, 2:30pm PT), but those timings are subject to change.
How to watch Fury vs Makhmudov
TV channel and live stream: Fury vs Makhmudov is being shown live and exclusive around the world on Netflix, included in regular subscriptions at no extra cost. A subscription to Netflix currently costs from £5.99 a month in the UK.
Live blog: You won’t miss anything on fight night with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Fury vs Makhmudov undercard
Having made a shock exit from Matchroom, Conor Benn fights under the Zuffa Boxing banner in the co-main event as he takes on former super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis - his first fight since that rematch win over arch-rival Chris Eubank Jr in November.
Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva defends the British heavyweight title won against Frazer Clarke for the first time as he battles Richard Riakporhe, while Clarke is on the comeback trail against Justis Huni.
Former British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Felix Cash is also on the bill, taking on Liam O'Hare.
Conor Benn and Regis Prograis have co-main event status in north London
Bradley Collyer/PA Wire
Main card
Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov
Conor Benn vs Regis Prograis
Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva vs Richard Riakporhe
Frazer Clarke vs Justis Huni
Prelim card
Felix Cash vs Liam O'Hare
Simon Zachenhuber vs Pawel August
Breyon Gorham vs Eduardo Costa
Mikie Tallon vs Leandro Blanc
Elliot Whale vs Tom Hill
Hector Lozano vs Sultan Almohammed
Francis Gorman vs Ryan Labourn
Fury vs Makhmudov prediction
There will no doubt be an awful lot of ring rust to shake off for Fury, who has not fought for 16 months and spent the entirety of 2025 outside the ring.
You would certainly not expect the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ to be at anywhere close to his best after such an extended absence, though as usual has promised a “brutal knockout” to announce his latest return and first fight in the UK since stopping Chisora at Tottenham in 2022.
Makhmudov is tough, aggressive and a hard-hitter who only gives up a couple of inches in height to Fury and who will view this as a massive opportunity to make a statement on the very biggest stage.
Tyson Fury will hope to inflict a third career defeat on Arslanbek Makhmudov
Getty Images for Netflix
However, defeats by Kabayel and Vianello have also exposed his vulnerabilities and he will have been disappointed not to have stopped Allen.
The far more dynamic Fury is a whole new level of challenge that he has never faced before and will surely not be able to handle.
Fury to win by stoppage.
Fury vs Makhmudov weigh-in results
Fury stepped on the scales on Friday lighter than he was for his most recent bout against Usyk, coming in at 267.9lbs, while Makhmudov weighed in at 264.9lbs.
Fury vs Makhmudov latest odds
Fury to win: 1/8
Makhmudov to win: 9/2
Draw: 20/1
Fury to win on points or by decision: 11/4
Fury to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 8/15
Makhmudov to win on points or by decision: 14/1
Makhmudov to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 13/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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