Tyson Fury’s last opponent, Arslanbek Makhmudov, has given his prediction for the long-awaited showdown between ‘The Gypsy King’ and Anthony Joshua.
Fury and Joshua have been on a collision course for a number of years, and Makhmudov has made it clear who he believes will come out on top.
‘The Gypsy King’ returned to the ring for the first time in 15 months this April in what was his first fight since back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
He took on Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and cruised to a unanimous decision victory.
Two of the judges scored the bout 120-108, while the third had it 119-109.
With Fury and ‘AJ’ now looking set to finally clash later this year, Makhmudov spoke to Boxing King Media and gave an honest verdict on how he sees the contest playing out.
“I gave him a very hard fight.
“Of course, maybe I did not do enough to win, but I gave a good fight and landed some good punches.
“Now, he’s ready for Joshua. One hundred per cent he can beat him. I think he beats him easy now.”
Both Fury and Joshua return to the ring this week in separate bouts as they look to shake off any remaining ring rust before they finally meet around November.
‘The Gypsy King’ headlines in Thailand as he faces 46-year-old Mariusz Wach, who was stopped by Moses Itauma in just two rounds two years ago.
Joshua, meanwhile, takes on Kristian Prenga, who boasts an impressive 20 knockouts from 20 victories. The Albanian has suffered just one defeat in his professional career, losing to Giovanni Auriemma back in 2017.
Should both men win their respective fights as expected, an official fight announcement is expected to follow shortly after.
The venue, date and even the start time have all been the subject of debate, with those details potentially delaying the official announcement.
UFC and Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White has claimed he will promote Fury vs Joshua, while both fighters’ representatives, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, have previously insisted that would be contractually impossible.
Both London and Las Vegas have emerged as frontrunners to host the fight, while there has also been speculation that a 2am ring walk could be required if the contest takes place in the UK.
