After a 16-month layoff, Tyson Fury returned to the ring and handled Arslanbek Makhmudov over 12 rounds, earning a clear-cut decision on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The official scores were 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109, as Fury largely dictated the pace from start to finish in a heavyweight bout that doubled as a reminder of his size, movement and ring IQ.
The result also matters beyond one night. For Fury, this was less about a signature win and more about reestablishing rhythm in a heavyweight division that still revolves around his name. For Makhmudov, the loss raises fresh questions about whether he can become a true factor against elite-level opponents after struggling to turn his physical tools into sustained offense against top competition.
Speaking to the YouTube channel Seconds Out, Kabayel — who previously stopped Makhmudov himself — gave Fury’s performance a measured review.
“It was a good performance. Fury had been out of the ring for 16 months. Makhmudov was in shape, but it went the way it went. Was Fury in trouble with him? No. I don’t know if Arslanbek even hurt Tyson at all. Maybe I saw a couple of good punches from Makhmudov, but not more than that.
I expected Fury to work the body more, but he moved off to the right more often. The opponent’s liver is on the left side for him. But it is what it is. Tyson hadn’t fought in a long time, and under those circumstances I thought it was a really quality performance from him.”
From an American boxing perspective, that read will sound familiar: Fury did not need to be explosive to be convincing. He needed rounds, timing and control, and he got all three. The next question is whether this version of Fury can sharpen into something more dangerous against the division’s biggest threats, because this comeback win was solid — but the real stakes are still ahead.