In an exciting matchup, heavyweight boxing legend Tyson Fury will be coming out of retirement to take on Arlsanbek Makhmudov in a huge showdown in April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Once one of the last undefeated titans of the sport, Fury has dropped back-to-back contests against rival heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk, the most recent battle occurring back in December 2024. Prior to that, the heavyweight was able to score a split decision win over the devastating Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in October 2023. Meanwhile, his opponent boasts a fantastic career record himself with 21 total wins, two losses and 19 of those victories coming by way of knockout. This matchup was announced in January of this year and the venue was later confirmed to be in the United Kingdom.
In this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from each of these combatants, a selected winner, and also some additional notes and information regarding boxing wagering.
A world-renowned fighter, Fury’s resume needs little introduction, but SBS will share here nonetheless. Over the course of his career, he has held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016. Additionally, Fury held the Ring magazine title twice between 2015 and 2022, and the World Boxing Council (WBC) title from 2020 to 2024. Moreover, he also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during his first reign as champion reports have noted. In 2020, his rematch defeat of Deontay Wilder earned him Fighter of the Year for a second time, and Fury became the third heavyweight, after Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali, to hold The Ring magazine title twice. In 2021, his trilogy fight against Wilder was named Fight of the Year by The Ring. Finally, Fury was widely considered by media outlets to be the lineal heavyweight champion at the time.
Following his back to back losses against Usyk, Fury announced his fifth retirement from professional boxing via Instagram in January 2025. At the time, and they were proved correct, some commentators speculated on a potential return in light of previous retirement announcements. In his last outing, Fury lost the bout by unanimous decision with all three ringside judges scoring it 116-112. The fight was just as competitive as the first encounter some articles noted. According to CompuBox, Usyk landed 179 punches out of 423, while Fury connected on 144 punches of 509 (28.3%). Writers from various outlets like ESPN, The New York Times, and others, all had Usyk winning, with scores ranging from 115-113 to 117-111. However, heading into the final round of the matchup, some reports noted that Fury was confident he was ahead in the fight.
A Russian heavyweight boxer based in Canada, the 36-year-old Makhmudov is known for his power and aggression. For instance, he has won 19 of his 23 bouts by stoppage, 13 of which came in the first round. Additionally, reports note, he has held several regional and minor titles, including the WBC Continental Americas title in 1029 and 2023. This also includes the WBA-NABA title from 2021 to 2022, the WBC Silver title in 2022, and also the WBA Inter-Continental title twice in 2023 and 2025.
In his most recent outing, Makhmudov challenged Dave Allen on October 11, 2025 for the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title at Sheffield Arena, England. He won via unanimous decision with the judges’ scorecards reading all in his favour, becoming the WBA Inter-Continental champion for the second time in his career, the report noted. Additionally, this was Makhmudov’s second fight to go the distance and the first in his career to go 12 rounds. Additionally, he was largely dominant throughout, landing almost at will, though he was unable to drop Allen. Of course, Allen, who has never fallen in his career, appeared to fade in the later frames, absorbing several punches himself against the ropes and losing two points for excessive holding. Following the win, Makhmudov called out Anthony Joshua, but now finds himself taking on Fury instead.
While Makhmudov is perhaps the fresher fighter given his lack of a retirement sabbatical, it would be hard to pick against one of the best heavyweight fighters of all time. Though he might have some ring rust, like he did against Ngannou, Fury is still an imposing figure who is one of the best in the sport when he is at his peak. Could this be the start of another climb? We will find out in April.
Once you are all up to speed in relation to the latest boxing fight updates, make sure to check out the excellent array of information available to you over at SBS. Of course, for more analysis on this sport, the boxing betting sites guide is afantastic resource for the latest updates. Conversely, for those who are qualified and are interested in new payment options, the payment methods rundown is a great guide. Here, you can learn more about the various deposit and withdrawal options available to you and how you can potentially use these options. Finally, for those interested in some higher-stakes wagering options, the VIP sports betting sites breakdown is a must-read page that covers the perks of VIP wagering and whether it might make sense for you.
About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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