By David Finger
In a workmanlike performance that allowed him to shake off some ring rust, former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ended a nearly two-year retirement to dominate Arslanbek Makhmudov of Montreal, Canada, over twelve rounds. Fury came in at a relatively svelte 268 pounds and, after a slow start, proceeded to outbox Makhmudov (265) over the course of the fight.
Clearly recognizing that an explosive start would give him his best path to victory, Makhmudov was aggressive in round one, but Fury was able to clinch and smother the wide shots of the Canadian. By round two, Fury was starting to find his groove, and by round three, he had shaken off enough ring rust to begin popping the jab effectively. Fury switched between southpaw and orthodox to further frustrate his opponent. Makhmudov continued to throw wild, looping shots in round four, but it was abundantly clear to ringsiders that his window had closed and he would need a new strategy. Unfortunately for him, he had no answer to the slickness of the Gypsy King, and the next six rounds were basically a “rinse and repeat” of the one before. Fury boxed well and found a home for the occasional uppercut, while Makhmudov’s wild offense slowed with each passing failed attempt.
In round nine, signs of fatigue began to emerge as Makhmudov took a knee while Fury leaned on him. In round ten, the Canadian took another knee as Fury began to increase the pressure in the closing seconds, and it started to look like Fury was ready to close the show.
But round eleven reverted into a wrestling match, and although Fury landed some solid uppercuts, Makhmudov was nonetheless able to survive the round. Going into round twelve, the outcome was never in doubt, but Fury still didn’t give the Canadian a free round and even snapped his head back with another uppercut in the closing minute. The scores were academic, with two judges scoring the fight 120–108 and one scoring it 119–109. With the win, an all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua looks like a very real possibility. Fury’s record now stands at 35–2–1 (24 KOs), while Makhmudov’s slips to 21–3 (19 KOs).
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