Ahead of his comeback bout, former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury made it clear that his ultimate target is a long-awaited all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua.
With a return date now locked in, Tyson Fury is already looking beyond Arslanbek Makhmudov. The former heavyweight champion is scheduled to face Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and Fury has made it plain that a fight with Anthony Joshua is the bigger prize on his radar.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Fury said he is fully open to finally making the Joshua fight happen once he gets through his next assignment. In an era when heavyweight boxing has repeatedly failed to deliver its biggest matchups on time, Fury-Joshua remains one of the few blockbuster fights that can still capture both the UK and U.S. markets in a major way.
“Of course, if that fight can be made — let’s do it. Let me get Makhmudov out of the way first, and we’re in business. I’m still the same man. Anybody can get it. It’s good to see Joshua back in training camp. He’s had some difficult times recently, everybody knows that. So let’s give him space and freedom. He can do whatever he wants,” Fury said.
The Makhmudov fight carries real stakes, even if the Joshua angle is stealing headlines. Fury, 37, is coming off back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, so this is less about a routine comeback and more about proving he still belongs in the elite tier of the division. If Fury looks sharp, the push for Joshua will become impossible to ignore. If he struggles, the entire conversation changes.
For American fans, that is the key angle. Fury vs. Joshua has long been viewed as the biggest all-British fight never made, but it also has clear crossover value in the U.S. because both men remain globally recognizable heavyweight names. London will provide a massive-stage atmosphere, and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has already become one of boxing’s premier big-event venues.
Fury vs. Makhmudov will stream worldwide on Netflix, with the result likely determining whether boxing finally gets one of its most overdue heavyweight events next.
