Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov: Preview, Prediction And Betting Odds

We are less than 24 hours away from Saturday night’s big heavyweight battle, streaming live and exclusively on Netflix worldwide. Former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will face top contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England. With a fight with Anthony Joshua on the horizon, will that be too much of a distraction, leading to a disappointing performance, or will the ‘Gypsy King’ show out on the biggest stage of them all?

The Great Ones Perform Big Under The Brightest Lights

When it comes to personalities and resumes of fighters in the heavyweight division, there is only one name that rises above them all, not named Oleksandr Usyk, and that’s Fury. He’s faced the biggest names in their primes and defeated all of them, except for Usyk, whom he lost to twice. At times, he’s looked ordinary, but when the lights are brightest, Fury tends to rise to the occasion. But Fury has been out of the ring almost 16 months, and at 37, it isn’t easy to tap back into elite form on your first fight back. That’s why Makhmudov was chosen. Team Fury feels he’s limited in his abilities, but he will be a good setup for what could be a fight with Joshua later in the year.

How does Fury beat Makhmudov on Saturday? Fury needs some rounds to warm up due to his inactivity, so early on he needs to do a ton of feints and flick out his left jab to keep his opponent at bay. Once the fight approaches the fourth or fifth round, that’s when Fury should apply pressure with his downhill offense, but in spots. When he tires out and just before Makhmudov looks to get going, Fury needs to hold and lean on him. Once Fury takes Makhmudov to the championship rounds, if an opportunity presents itself, he should go for the stoppage. If it doesn’t, cautious pressure should be applied en route to a decision victory.

For Arslanbek Makhmudov, It Doesn’t Get Any Bigger Than This Or Does It?

The 36-year-old Makhmudov is heading into the biggest fight of his career, but if he comes out victorious, there’s another that could be even bigger, a fight with Joshua. Things have been looking good for Makhmudov, but that’s only because he needed a wake-up call. That happened in August 2024, when he was stopped in the eighth round against Guido Vianello. His promoter, Eye of the Tiger, told him that if he doesn’t get his act together, they may no longer be behind him. It was exactly what he needed to hear, and he won his next two fights, which landed him this one with Fury.

Makhmudov is a good boxer, and to win, he must do just that. Makhmudov’s left jab has to lead his offense, but more importantly, he has to get Fury on his back foot and force him onto the ropes. Makhmudov has to test Fury’s mental toughness to ensure he doesn’t have lingering effects from the Usyk fight. If Makhmudov can force Fury to do more than he would like, we could see Fury gas out late, which could give Makhmudov an opportunity for a big stoppage. At a minimum, Makhmudov could secure a split decision victory if he incorporates some of the things mentioned.

Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov Prediction

This won’t be a fight where Fury takes too many chances. He will be aggressive at times and do enough to secure a close but unanimous decision.

Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov Betting Odds

Per BETUS, Tyson Fury is the favorite at -550, and Arslanbek Makhmudov is the underdog at +375.

Tyson Fury: TKO/KO -200; Decision +250

Draw: +1800

Arslanbek Makhmudov: TKO/KO +600; Decision +1300

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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