Britain’s former heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, has reignited calls for a long-awaited domestic super-fight after defeating Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision on Saturday night.

Fighting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury delivered a composed and commanding performance to secure his first victory since his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in October 2024. That loss had denied the “Gypsy King” a chance to reclaim the WBC title, but he showed no signs of decline in a bout he ultimately controlled from the middle rounds onward.

Makhmudov started brightly, pressing forward aggressively and forcing Fury onto the ropes in the early exchanges. However, the Russian struggled to inflict meaningful damage as Fury gradually imposed his superior ring craft.

Once Fury established his jab and controlled the distance, the fight tilted decisively in his favour. Switching stances with ease, the 37-year-old Briton mixed head and body attacks, punishing Makhmudov whenever he attempted to clinch. As the contest wore on, Fury’s dominance became more pronounced, with the Briton picking his shots and rarely looking troubled.

All three judges scored the 12-round contest comfortably for Fury, returning verdicts of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109.

But it was what happened after the final bell that electrified the crowd.

With fellow Briton Anthony Joshua watching from ringside, Fury seized the microphone and issued a direct challenge.

“Next, I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua… the Battle of Britain. I challenge you… do you accept my challenge?” Fury declared.

Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion, declined to be drawn into an immediate verbal exchange but signalled his willingness to finally settle the rivalry in the ring.

“Tyson, I’ve never had a problem getting in the ring with you,” Joshua responded. “I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years… when you’re ready, come and see me.”

The exchange has once again fuelled anticipation for what could become the biggest fight in British boxing history, with fans hopeful that negotiations—after years of near misses—can finally deliver the long-awaited showdown between the two heavyweight giants.

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Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua in a long-awaited clash of British former heavyweight world champions if ​he wins his comeback against Canada-based Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov ‌in London on Saturday.

Fury, 37, has come out of retirement for the fifth time in his career to get back into the ring at ​the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and is looking well beyond ​the weekend.

“I’ve got Arslanbek Makhmudov to think of on ⁠Saturday night, but all going well (Joshua is) the fight I ​want next,” he told BBC radio on Wednesday.

“I know he just ​had his fight with Jake Paul, whatever… a fight’s a fight, really. So yeah, I’ll be ready for that straight away after this.”

Joshua, 36, ​last fought in December when he dealt American Jake Paul ​a reality check with a savage sixth round knockout in Miami.

A few days after ‌that, ⁠the former WBA, IBF and WBO champion was taken to hospital in Nigeria following a car accident that killed two close friends.

American former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder has also called ​out Joshua for a ​long-awaited matchup after ⁠beating Briton Derek Chisora on a split-decision last Saturday.

Fury, who has not fought since losing to ​Ukraine’s reigning world champion Oleksandr Usyk in December ​2024, ⁠dismissed the idea of that happening.

“I’ve never seen two men slide as much as these two,” he said of the Wilder v ⁠Chisora ​bout. “They look like a couple of club ​fighters from a white-collar match in a local leisure centre. It was sad ​for me to watch.”

-Reuters

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Former world champion Deontay Wilder sent Derek Chisora into retirement by edging their engaging yet chaotic heavyweight fight in London, United Kingdom.

The boxers, aged 40 and 42 respectively, threw hopeful knockout punches and barely jabbed. Both slipped and fell to the canvas frequently during the bout at the O2 Arena on Saturday.

Wilder got the only knockdown in the eighth round, sending Chisora through the ropes, but the American was deducted a point in the same round for pushing. Chisora was rattled, but Wilder did not press his advantage.

Wilder dominated the early rounds, and Chisora rallied late. The judges were split in their scoring: Wilder received scores of 115-111 and 115-113, and the third picked Chisora by 115-112

Wilder said the fight was fun and suggested he didn’t want to knock out Chisora.

“Tonight, I looked out for him. I want him to live for his kids,” he told broadcaster DAZN. “It’s time for us to take care of each other.”

Chisora said in the build-up that the fight was to be his last, but the Londoner was reluctant to confirm it afterwards.

“I’m going to go home with the boss lady and see,” he told DAZN. “I’m going to go home and drop the kids, do the school run.”

It was the 50th fight for both in the professional ranks.

Wilder improved his record to 45-4-1. The WBC titleholder from 2015 to 2020 came to London having lost four of his last six fights.

Chisora’s record since 2007, when he turned pro a year before Wilder, dropped to 36-14. He lost his only two title shots against Vitali Klitschko in 2012 and Tyson Fury in 2022.

-The Associated Press

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