Matchbook’s boxing expert Ryan Cahill take you through Tyron Fury’s big fight this weekend vs Arslanbek Makhmudov…
Tyson Fury returns after an 18-month layoff this Saturday to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov at the home of Tottenham Hotspur. The event will be streamed live worldwide on Netflix, in what is expected to be a straightforward return for the “Gypsy King”.
Fury (32-2-1, 24 KOs) comes into this fight having suffered back-to-back decision defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, regarded by many as the world’s P4P number 1 fighter. The Morecambe-based heavyweight has had a plethora of well-documented issues outside the ring in the past and the manner in which he was out-battled in both bouts with Usyk should be a slight cause for concern, coupled with his latest hiatus from the ring. This in itself adds a layer of intrigue to what should otherwise be a fairly simple task on return.
Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) will be a name familiar to some, having won a 12-round decision over Doncaster’s Dave Allen toward the end of 2025. The “Lion” was once considered a blue-chip prospect, standing at 6″7 with the look of a Rocky villain, you can see why. That hype and his perfect record were ended devastatingly by Agit Kabayel in 2023. Kabayel has since gone on to win the interim WBC Heavyweight title, so there is no shame in that for the Canadian-based Russian. Another crushing defeat against Guido Vianello in 2024 firmly ended that hype train. A win last time out against Allen will be of some relief to Makhmudov but that performance was not without its faults.
Makhmudov is not a complex puzzle, especially for a fighter as technically gifted as Tyson Fury. The Russian lacks Fury’s ring IQ and technical ability but at 6″7, 260lbs and 19KOs to his name, he is not without a puncher’s chance.
At the time of writing, Fury can be backed to win at 1.26, which looks an intriguing proposition in itself for short-priced fav backers and those creating their fight night multis.
Fury’s simplest path to victory is the same one he’s used for a decade. Box long, use feints and dictate the fight through his jab, Makhmudov should have more than enough power to make the Gypsy King hesitant to employ a game plan similar to how he fought a much smaller man in Oleksandr Usyk. Ring-rust, coupled with the potential of a high-stakes fight with Anthony Joshua looming may lead Fury to rely on old habits to see this one out.
As can be the case with Heavyweight boxing, knockouts are expected and thus tend to be on the shorter side of things. Fury to win this inside the 12-round distance at 1.69 feels short to me, and I’d much rather side with Tyson Fury to win this one on points at a chunky looking 4.5.
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