Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov previewed their clash at a kickoff press conference on Monday. Fury said he looks forward to “punching his face right in,” while Makhmudov called the bout his “dream fight.”
The former WBC heavyweight champion Fury makes his return to the ring against Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, live on Netflix. At the press conference, the fighters also faced off for the first time.
‘Big right hand KO’
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) steps through the ropes for the first time since late 2024, when he dropped a decision to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch. The 37-year-old native of Wythenshawe, Manchester, said he decided to make a comeback after learning about a tragedy involving Anthony Joshua.
“If I fight a pudding, I don’t get turned on by that,” Fury said. “I have to fight somebody dangerous to make me want to even train, make me want to even take it seriously. So now I know I’ve got a dangerous knockout artist in front of me.”
“I’m looking forward to coming here putting on a real show at Tottenham. And most of all, I’m looking forward to punching his face right in.”
“I suppose the biggest turning point in this comeback, for me, was a tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua. I was on holiday with my family in Thailand for Christmas just to get away from the rain, and then I hear all that bad news that’s gone on and I thought, you know what? Life is very, very short and very precious and very fragile and anything could happen at any given moment and you should never put things off until tomorrow or next year or next week because tomorrow is not promised to nobody.”
‘I want to feel happy.’
“When I’m in Thailand and I wake up and it’s 30 degrees outside, I’m like, this is awesome. Let me go. Training [in] sunshine is the key. And if you wake up in the rain, you feel sh*t. And if you wake up in the sunshine you feel happy. And I want to feel happy.”
Regarding his fight with Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs), Fury predicted a big knockout midway through the fight:
“Probably a big right hand KO… Round six, why not? Sounds like a good even number.”
‘Reach my goal’
Makhmudov, 36, is riding a two-fight winning streak, having scored a decision against David Allen and a first-round TKO over Ricardo Brown last year. The Montreal-based heavyweight said his goal was to become a champion, and he is looking forward to squaring off against Fury to achieve it.
“For me, it’s a dream fight,” Makhmudov said. “All my life, I go for my goal. My parents told, my uncle told me… when I was nine years old… you’re going to be champion of the world world. So I just follow my goals and enjoy this time now and enjoy my trip to this goal. I’m looking forward to April 11 to reach my goal.”
The bouts featured on the Fury vs Makhmudov undercard are expected to be confirmed shortly.