Tyson Fury is coming back to fight Arslanbek Makhmudov in the UK on April 11, streaming on Netflix, which raises immediate questions about why this matchup exists and what happens if Fury looks as shopworn as he did losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) retired after consecutive losses to Usyk stripped him of legitimacy at the top of the division. Now he’s back, promoted by Turki Alalshikh’s outfit under The Ring banner, facing Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs), a puncher who has lost both times he stepped up. Makhmudov got stopped by Agit Kabayel in 2023. He hits hard when opponents cooperate. Fury, even diminished, should know better.
The fight lands on Netflix, which has 325 million subscribers but no track record staging boxing from the UK. This is their first British broadcast, tied to a Fury documentary series they’re producing. The timing lines up with promotion, not competition. No venue announced yet. No undercard names. Just a date and a streaming deal that makes this feel more like content than consequence.
What Fury Gets From This
Fury hasn’t fought in the UK since 2022. That was Dereck CHisora ain Tottenham, a sold-out night where he looked sharp enough to retire on top. He didn’t. Instead, he took the Usyk fights, lost both, and spent months insisting he was done. Now he’s back because inactivity is worse than losing again, and Makhmudov offers a soft landing. If Fury wins, he can claim momentum. If he struggles, the Usyk losses get confirmed as the beginning of the end.
What Makhmudov Brings
Makhmudov is 21-2 with 19 knockouts, but both losses exposed him. Kabayel stopped him in eight rounds. He’s dangerous against stationary targets and ineffective when forced to adjust. Fury, even at his worst, moves, feints, and controls distance. Makhmudov will need Fury to cooperate, and Fury doesn’t cooperate unless something is badly wrong.
Where This Leads
If Fury wins cleanly, he’ll push for another significant fight, probably through the same Saudi-backed structure. If he looks slow or vulnerable, this becomes a farewell tour disguised as a comeback. Makhmudov gets a payday and a name on his record whether he wins or not. The real test is whether Netflix’s audience cares about a heavyweight fight with no belt and no immediate stakes. Fury’s name still carries importance in the UK, but the shine wore off after Usyk. This fight exists because Fury couldn’t stay retired and because Netflix needed boxing content tied to their documentary schedule. Whether it delivers anything beyond that depends on how much Fury has left, and we won’t know until April.
‘Comeback’ fights always fake nowadays. They pick someone who can’t win and act like it’s a challenge 😂. If Netflix wanted real boxing, they’d pick better matchups than this junk.
‘Real talk bro, nobody scared of Makhmudov after that last loss he took. It’s just hype to make Fury look good one more time.’
Yeah but people still gonna watch cause it’s Fury and they got that doc on him now 🙄 not cause the fight actually means something.
Fury just wants easy fights now cause he knows real competition beats him up. Makhmudov ain’t scary if you can move a little bit. This whole thing is just for show 🙄.
This fight don’t make no sense. Makhmudov already lost to some guy nobody knows, so what’s the point of Fury beating him? Just more fake drama for Netflix to show.
Exactly bro, they trying to make it a big deal but it ain’t. Just cause it’s on Netflix don’t mean it matters in real boxing terms.
Facts 💯 this ain’t about fighting, it’s about views and cash grabs. Fury should just stay retired instead of dragging this out.
I don’t get why Fury is even fighting again 🤷♂️. He already got beat good by Usyk and now he’s coming back like nothing happened. It’s like he just wants a paycheck.