On Saturday, Tyson Fury will return to the ring to fight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fury is now 37, and has a history of returning from retirement. He previously held the title of world champion, but lost it to current heavyweight Usyk on points. Usyk has proved himself to be one of the most skillful boxers in history, proving a match to Fury’s unconventional but brilliant style.
But can the now 37-year-old Fury take on Arslanbek Makhmudov? His manager Spencer Brown seems confident. He has called the fight on Saturday a warm-up for the long-awaited and much-anticipated clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury — two titans of British boxing.
The Joshua-Fury fight would become more plausible if Joshua can also secure a warm-up bout. In his previous fight, he beat YouTuber Jake Paul, breaking his jaw. He is now recovering from a car accident in Nigeria, in which Joshua’s long-time strength coach Sina Ghami and close friend Latif Ayodele were sadly killed.
This all depends on Fury’s bout against Makhmudov on Saturday. Tyson’s manager Spencer Brown said: “It’s a very, very hard fight this. It’s a guy who can punch, a guy who can knock you out and he’s proved that. He’s got a great amateur record, he’s strong, he wrestles — he wrestles bears.”
Should Fury win, the Fury-Joshua fight becomes far more likely. Usyk and Joshua are both expected to attend the bout on Saturday.