Tyson Fury Victorious in Return

Former world champion Tyson Fury was victorious as he earn a unanimous decision victory over Arsalanbek Makhmudov in going the distance at at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. All three judges scored the bout widely in Fury’s favor, with tallies of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109.

On his performance and shaking off ring rust: It felt unbelievable. I was very, very happy with the performance. It took a couple of rounds to get going, the ring rust off. I felt I was back to vintage Tyson Fury – travelling the jab up, doubling, southpaw, right uppercut, body shots. There was a lot of stuff going on. I was very happy that I got a good 12 rounds in, because that’s invaluable for me after the long layoff and the age as well.

On fighting at Tottenham and the atmosphere: Sixty‑odd thousand people came out and supported me in tough times and uncertain times and it was electric. I came out to Ricky Hatton, a tribute to my friend Rick, and the fans were electric. I was very, very happy with the support and very, very happy with everybody in here…..The songs were great and everyone was just buzzing again. I’ve been away a year and a half and I’ve not seen that type of atmosphere since I’ve been gone.

On walking out in a Ricky Hatton tribute: There’s been a lot of big fights on and I’ve not seen any real tributes to a British boxing legend. Someone of my calibre to come out dressed as Ricky Hatton – it was great for me and I hope he was happy.

On what happens if Joshua doesn’t fight him next: Here’s the thing, if it ain’t Anthony Joshua next, I’m not interested in boxing. I’ll eat a thousand Easter eggs, get up to 35 stone – I’m out. I’m not interested. It’s either him or I’m gone again…. I don’t care about rankings. I don’t care about belts. I only care now about AJ, that fight. That’s the defining fight for British boxing. It’s either going to happen or it’s not.

On rediscovering why he returned and the joy he felt on fight night: I really enjoyed myself tonight and I was so happy to be back. Now I know why I returned, because I just fucking love it. I love it. I love going out. I love the reception. I love the dancing on the stage, the fireworks. It was just an unbelievable experience. And to be away from here for four years to come back to that – what a welcome‑home present that was.

Adding intrigue to the heavyweight landscape, Fury and fellow British superstar Anthony Joshua engaged in a heated post-fight back-and-forth on the broadcast. Fury used his interview to call Joshua out - “I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want, the Battle of Britain… I challenge you Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King, next” - while Joshua hit back from ringside, branding Fury “a clout chaser” and declaring, “Tyson, I’ve never had no problem getting in a ring with you. I’ve punched you out when we were kids and after watching you here tonight, I’ll punch you up again… You ain’t going to tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years. When you are ready, you come and see me and tell me your terms and conditions and I’ll have you in the ring when I’m ready,”stoking instant anticipation for a potential blockbuster clash between the rivals.

The fight attracted a star-studded ringside audience including Gary Linekar, Micah Richards, Chris Eubank Jr, Derek Chisora, Antony Joshua, Ronnie Wood, Amir Khan, Jordan Pickford, Michael Cera, Maya Jama, Jay Lycurgo, Dizzie Rascal, Peter Serafinowicz, Tosin Cole, Rapman, Hamzah Sheeraz and Tobi Brown and Ethan Payne of Sidemen fame. The show also opened with the first ever play of Rough and Twisted, a new single from band The Cockroaches (… which sounds remarkably similar to Rolling Stones…). 

In the co-main event, Conor “The Destroyer” Benn dominated over 10 three-minute rounds to secure a clear unanimous decision victory over Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, with all three judges scoring the bout identically at 98-92 in Benn’s favor.

In the British Heavyweight Title bout, Richard “The Midnight Train” Riakporhe claimed the vacant crown with a dominant performance, stopping Jeamie Tshikeva by technical knockout in Round 5 to become the new British heavyweight champion.

Opening the main card in a closely contested heavyweight clash, Justis Huni emerged victorious over Frazer Clarke by majority decision. After ten hard‑fought rounds, one judge scored the bout 95-95, while the remaining two judges sided with Huni with identical tallies of 96-94.

On the preliminary card, Pawel August impressed as he handed Simon Zachenhuber his first defeat via unanimous decision; Mikie “The Omen” Tallon continued his perfect run, knocking out Leandro Blanc in Round 1 to move to 13-0; Breyon “Grind Time” Gorham remained unbeaten, stopping Eduardo Costa to improve to 22-0; Elliot Whale extended his unbeaten run to 14-0 as he stopped Tom Hill in Round 4; Sultan Almohammed impressed once again, halting Hector Lozano in Round 3 to improve to 3-0 as a professional; and Felix Cash came out on top in emphatic fashion, stopping Liam O’Hare inside two rounds.