After more than a year away from boxing, Tyson Fury returned to the ring and immediately reignited talk of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.
According to ESPN, Fury dominated Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, earning a unanimous decision in front of approximately 60,000 fans. Judges scored the fight 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109 after Fury controlled most of the action with his jab and movement in his first bout since losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk.
But the biggest moment came after the final bell, when Fury turned toward Joshua, who had been sitting ringside filming the fight on his phone.
“Next, I want to give you the fight you have all been waiting for,” Fury said in the ring. “I want you, Anthony Joshua, let’s give the fight fans what they want, a Battle of Britain. I, the Gypsy King, challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept the challenge? Do not run from me this time, let’s dance.”
Joshua declined to enter the ring and stopped short of confirming the fight, though he suggested negotiations could move quickly.
“There’s a negotiation that you go through. I’ve sat at this table with him many times,” Joshua said during the Netflix broadcast. “I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him.’ I’m not here to get clout. I’m here to fight. Contracts will be sent over. We’ll go through the nitty-gritty, and you’ll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely.”
The possibility of Fury and Joshua finally meeting has long hovered over British boxing. The two heavyweights were close to agreeing to a fight in 2020 before plans fell apart, and multiple later attempts never made it to the ring.
“Tomorrow might not ever come,” Fury said. “The biggest turning point in this comeback for me was the tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua.”
Fury said he was in Thailand with his family when he heard the news and decided he no longer wanted to keep putting things off. “Life is very, very short and very precious and very fragile,” he said. “You should never put things off until tomorrow.”
Netflix appeared to add fuel to the speculation shortly after Fury’s comeback fight, posting on social media about a potential Fury-Joshua bout later this year. A September event at Croke Park has also been floated as a possible location if Joshua chooses not to take another fight first.
