Tyson Fury dispatches Arslanbek Makhmudov; botched Anthony Joshua fight announcement follows

Tyson Fury, right, defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision. Richard Pelham / Getty Images Share full articleLONDON — Tyson Fury got the rounds to shake off the ring rust, but the drama really came after his comfortable win over the laboursome and limited Arslanbek Makhmudov. The fight was livestreamed on Netflix, the online giant famed for binge-watchable TV series, but the 12 rounds were not a show that will be rewatched again and again. Instead, the botched announcement of the all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua afterward was the most dramatic moment of the evening. The victory for Fury, 37, confirmed his return to winning ways after 16 months out of the ring following back-to-back defeats by Oleksandr Usyk. The two-time world heavyweight champion can take the positive — how comfortable he was with the three judges scoring it 120-108, 120-109 and 119-109 — in his favour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Joshua, 36, was ringside among the celebrities watching, along with Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, who has promised to bankroll the Fury-Joshua clash at a venue to be determined. But after the fight, Joshua refused the self-proclaimed Gypsy King’s request to get into the ring with him. Joshua appears to be waiting for contracts to be signed before going face-to-face with his rival. He returned to his seat as Fury challenged Joshua to be his next opponent. Not even Alalshikh, whose tune so many sing because of the money he offers, could summon Joshua or his promoter, Eddie Hearn, into the ring. Fury took the microphone and bellowed to Joshua, “Do you accept?” Joshua was given a microphone, but the crowd could not hear his response, as he showed little emotion. The planned announcement failed to happen, much like the spark that could have brought excitement in the fight that came before it. Fury was never troubled by Makhmudov but didn’t go through the gears to find an early finish. The defeats by Usyk have diminished the air of invincibility that once surrounded Fury as the clock ticks down for one of Britain’s best fighters, but he collected his 35th career win on a night built to bring him back to the big stage. Makhmudov, a big-framed Russian, was the selected opponent to get him back in action. It was a passable foe given Fury’s layoff and need for a comeback victory, but Makhmudov had been taken in 12 rounds by Britain’s Dave Allen — a game but limited challenger — in October and had two losses on his record to opposition inferior to Fury in his prime. Makhmudov’s ringwalk was menacing. An air raid siren rang out as he strolled into the bowl of the arena, wearing a simple black hooded top to keep warm rather than the now customary flash clothing many opt to don. Fury was wearing shorts with sky blue on the sides and tassels in tribute to the late Ricky Hatton. The two were close friends, and City’s anthem, “Blue Moon,” briefly played before an elaborate, firework-laden entrance to announce Fury’s return. Tickets might have been available in the run-up at knockdown rates on secondary markets, but a huge crowd lapped up the electric entrance. Fury boxed southpaw for a large part of the opening round, but it was a scrappy first three minutes, with Makhmudov throwing looping right hands that were mostly shy of the target. The British fighter returned to orthodox before the end of the first, but it was a similar second round, though Fury started to put together some decent combinations before the bell. As Fury comfortably controlled the third, with simple one-twos piercing Makhmudov’s high guard, the electricity in the air from before the bout had vanished. Fury, who also had “R.I.P. Ricky” on the back of his shorts, found a home for his right in the fourth, but Makhmudov responded with a big left. A strong right over the top from Fury landed sweetly on Makhmudov’s chin, but it didn’t deter him from continuing to plod forward, looking for looping shots expertly swerved by the home favourite. Makhmudov did not hide his impending attacks as he put his head down and threw, but rarely landed. That spoke more to how laboured Makhmudov was than to Fury’s being razor sharp. Fury popped off a few jabs from the southpaw stance in the sixth and admired his work by gesturing to those ringside, before Makhmudov returned to his corner looking exhausted and breathing heavily. Makhmudov mustered a decent right hand in the seventh, but the fight failed to catch fire throughout. Fury landed with a short left hook in the eighth, allowing him to press Makhmudov to the ropes, but he could not follow it up, as another round passed by with little excitement. Fury landed a couple of heavy shots towards the end of the 11th, bringing some life back to the crowd, which sat through the previous couple of rounds in relative silence. Spectators were treated to a little more in the last, as Fury continued to switch stances and got through with a couple of good left hands. It was nowhere near enough to find a stoppage, however, as all eyes turned to the Joshua fight. Makhmudov was figuratively and literally moved out of the way for the British pair to face off, but “AJ,” on a Netflix event, did not read the script. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Chris McKenna spent more than 11 years working for the Daily Star as well as the Daily Mirror and Daily Express covering football and boxing. He also covered the World Cup final in 2022 and boxing’s biggest events of the last decade.