Tyson Fury, the former world heavyweight champion, marked his return to boxing with a decisive victory against Russian boxer Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Stadium in London. This match was Fury’s first since his losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, where he relinquished his WBC heavyweight title and suffered a unanimous decision defeat in their rematch.
Initially announcing his retirement in early 2025, Fury expressed a desire to return to the ring and finish his career on his own terms. In July, he confirmed plans for a trilogy fight against Usyk, but first faced Makhmudov, a 36-year-old fighter with a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, including 19 knockouts. Makhmudov’s last fight prior to this was in October 2025, where he won against British boxer Dave Allen by unanimous decision.
The bout showcased Fury’s dominance, as he landed nearly four times as many punches as Makhmudov, finishing with 199 to 59 in total landed punches. The disparity was even more pronounced in power punches, where Fury achieved a staggering 76 to 7 advantage.
After 12 full rounds, the judges awarded Fury a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109. This win marks Fury’s first since October 2023 and the 35th victory in his professional career.
This fight continued a trend for Fury, as it was the third consecutive match that went the full 12 rounds. His previous bouts against Usyk also concluded with judges’ decisions. In October 2023, Fury faced former mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou, who lost by a split decision after 10 rounds.
Throughout the fight against Makhmudov, Fury’s accuracy improved significantly. He started with only five effective punches in the first round but escalated to landing at least 23 punches in each of the final three rounds. In contrast, Makhmudov struggled to find his rhythm, failing to land more than eight effective punches in any round, with a notable performance of 8 out of 29 in the fourth round. Over the course of the fight, Makhmudov achieved a mere 21.1% accuracy rate, landing 59 of 280 punches, with 15 of those targeting Fury’s body.
Tyson Fury returned to boxing with a commanding victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, marking his first fight since losing his heavyweight title. The bout highlighted Fury's dominance, as he significantly outperformed Makhmudov in both total and power punches.