Fury dominates Makhmudov in latest comeback and calls out Joshua

TL;DR

Tyson Fury dominated Arslanbek Makhmudov for a unanimous decision victory and called out Anthony Joshua for a fight. Joshua, present at the event, responded but did not confirm the challenge, stating he is still dealing with personal matters.

LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury showed little rust in dominating Arslanbek Makhmudov for a unanimous decision victory Saturday and immediately challenged a ringside Anthony Joshua to fight him next. “Let's give the fight fans what they want,” Fury bellowed after going 12 rounds in his latest comeback. A long-awaited Fury-Joshua heavyweight showdown would be one of the biggest fights in British boxing history. Joshua sat ringside and appeared to be using his phone to film portions of the fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He didn't commit to anything when Fury yelled into the Netflix microphone: “Do you accept my challenge?” Joshua said, “I'll punch you up,” and “I’m the landlord. You work for me.” As for Saturday's fight, the self-described “Gypsy King" had a fairly slow start but otherwise dictated the pace with his left jab and in later rounds landed frequent lead uppercuts. Two judges scored it 120-108 and the other 119-109. Joshua, a former world champion, later told Netflix in an interview: “Contracts will be sent over. You’ll probably see us in the ring.” He noted he's still “sorting some things out” following the death of two close friends in a fatal car accident in Nigeria. Joshua was a passenger in the vehicle. The 37-year-old Fury, the former two-time heavyweight champion, called it quits shortly after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024 for a second time — his only two professional defeats. At Fury's request, his ring walk was preceded by a tribute to the late Ricky Hatton, the Manchester native and former world champion who died last year at age 46. The message “RIP Ricky” was stitched on the back of Fury's shorts.

Benn handles Prograis

Conor Benn earned a 10-round unanimous decision over Regis Prograis to bolster his case for a title shot against WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia. Benn (24-5, 14 KOs) took command in the middle rounds with punishing body shots against 37-year-old Prograis (30-4, 24 KOs), a former two-time world champion at super lightweight (140 lbs). Saturday's bout was at a catchweight of 150 lbs. All three judges scored it 98-92 for the 29-year-old Briton, who sustained cuts over both eyes from head clashes. \\\_ AP boxing:

Q&A

What was the score of the Fury vs. Makhmudov fight?

The fight ended with two judges scoring it 120-108 and the third judge scoring it 119-109 in favor of Tyson Fury.

What did Anthony Joshua say in response to Tyson Fury's challenge?

Anthony Joshua responded to Fury's challenge by saying, 'I'll punch you up,' but did not commit to a fight, mentioning he is still sorting out personal matters.

Why is the potential Fury vs. Joshua fight significant?

A Fury vs. Joshua fight would be one of the biggest matchups in British boxing history, attracting significant attention from fans and media alike.