Former two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has come out of retirement once again, preparing for his comeback at the age of 37 after a 15-month hiatus. His return bout is scheduled for Saturday, May 10, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where he will take on the dangerous Russian boxer Arslanbek Makhmudov. Fury suffered back-to-back losses to undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk over the past 15 months, marking the first defeats in his lengthy career.
Fury needs a victory to get his career back on track, but his opponent Makhmudov is no mere tune-up. The Dagestani fighter, now based in Canada, is a devastating puncher with 90 percent of his wins coming by knockout, and he stands only a couple of inches shorter than the towering Fury. In an interview with the BBC, Fury stated he feels "as good as I've ever felt" and described Makhmudov as a "stone-cold killer who can put me out with one shot."
Should Fury win, he is looking ahead to a long-awaited potential fight against fellow British boxer Anthony Joshua. However, Makhmudov is relishing the opportunity to face Fury, whom he called a "legend" and "one of the best heavyweights in history" in an interview with The Guardian. He added, "I don't know how I will beat him, but of course I believe I will win. This fight is a war between mental and spiritual, and we'll see who is more successful, inshallah it is spiritual."
The fight will be broadcast live on Netflix, with the main card starting at 7:00 PM (18:00 GMT). Fury and Makhmudov are set to make their ringwalks around 10:00 PM (21:00 GMT), and the bout is expected to begin at approximately 10:30 PM, scheduled for 12 rounds. In addition to the main event, the co-main event features Conor Benn against former super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis, marking Benn's first fight since defeating his archrival Chris Eubank Jr.
Fury's father, John Fury, has urged his son to retire in recent months, claiming he is "past his best," but Tyson noted this won't affect the fight. Fury is coming out of retirement for the fifth time, signaling another pivotal moment in his career as he aims to reclaim his standing in the sport.
Source: www.aljazeera.com