Fury has not been in a ring since December 2024, when he lost the rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. At 37, a dismissal that long is a physical gamble for him to come back.
By talking about Joshua, he is trying to convince the world and perhaps himself that the Usyk losses were a fluke and that his King status is still intact.
Fury has been dropped 8 times in his career. His legs looked heavy in the second Usyk fight, and his reliance on the clinch, his favorite survival tactic, may not work against a man with Makhmudov’s raw physical strength.
“It’s been a massive rivalry for over 10 years. The British public are still clamoring for it. They still want it desperately,” Fury told the InsideRingShow.
“Even if we had a 200,000-seat stadium, we’d sell out 10 times. That’s how big it is here. I do think I could beat him at any time, whether he was 25, 35 or 95.”
Fury is no longer selling his fight against Joshua as a top athletic contest, but as a historic rivalry that exists outside of time.
Tyson’s claim that age doesn’t matter is a clever way of getting around the fact that both he and Joshua are in the twilight of their careers. Saying he will win at any age, he argues that his boxing IQ and natural size are permanent advantages that Joshua’s athleticism cannot overcome.
“If everything goes well in this fight on Saturday night, then that’s the fight we want to make next,” Fury said.
Fury, who uses the word “ash” on Saturday night, is the most honest he has been in years. Arslanbek Makhmudov is a dangerous pick for a comeback for a few reasons: Makhmudov is a massive, heavy-handed puncher with 19 KOs. Fury’s chin has been repeatedly tested, and at 37, recovery time in the ring is slowing.
Fury has not fought since December 2024. Coming back against a devastating ball style fighter like Makhmudov after a long layoff is a massive gamble.
If Tyson loses, the Joshua fight, the 200,000-seat sellout he dreams of, effectively goes away. This would turn their battle into a battle of the former kings.
“There will always be, even if we’re 60 years old, I think it’s still a massive fight in the UK,” Fury said.
