04/11/26 06:53:00
Printable Page
04/11 18:49 CDT Fury dominates Makhmudov in latest comeback and calls out Joshua
Fury dominates Makhmudov in latest comeback and calls out Joshua
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
(35-2-1) 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 on Makhmudov (21-3). Two judges scored it
120-108 and the other 119-109.
The 36-year-old 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.
"If AJ don't want it, then lets get Usyk in the trilogy," Fury said at
Saturday's post-fight press conference.
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 (25-1, 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: https://apnews.com/boxing
|
