Who: Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Mahmudov When: Saturday, April 11, 2026 – Main event ring walk scheduled for after 10pm local time (21:00 GMT) Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England Professional record (WLD): Fury (34-2-1), Mahmudov (21) Wins by knockout: Fury (24 wins), Mahmudov (19) Height: Fury – 206cm (6’9”), Mahmudov – 198cm (6’6”) Reach: Fury – 216cm (85”), Mahmudov – 194cm (76.5”) Follow the fight live: Al Jazeera will run a live page with main event build-up and text commentary starting at 6pm Japan time. Saturday, April 11th.
Former two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has come out of retirement (again) and is set to make his return on Saturday night against the dangerous Arslanbek Mahmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 37-year-old ‘Gypsy King’ suffered back-to-back defeats to undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, the first loss in the British boxer’s long career, and has been out of the ring for 15 months.
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Fury said he needed a win to get his career back on track and was looking forward to a long-awaited bout with fellow British boxer Anthony Joshua. But the 36-year-old Mahmudov is more than just an adjustment partner.
The Dagestani boxer, currently based in Canada, is an incredible puncher with 90 per cent of his wins coming by knockout, and is only a few centimeters shorter than Fury.
Here’s everything you need to know about Fury vs. Mahmudov and the rest of the main card.
Start time and viewing method
The main card is scheduled to start at 7pm (6pm GMT) and will be broadcast on Netflix.
Fury and Mahmudov are scheduled to walk the ring after 10pm (9pm GMT), with the fight expected to start around 10:30pm. A total of 12 rounds are planned.
The co-main event between Conor Benn and Regis Prograis is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30pm (8:30pm GMT).
Who is Tyson Fury?
The loquacious and charismatic British boxer won his first heavyweight title in 2015 by defeating Wladimir Klitschko.
He then returned from a long layoff due to illness and fought an incredible trilogy with Deontay Wilder. Although he drew with the American knockout artist in his first match, he won the next two matches to win and defend the WBC world title.
In recent years, the Gypsy King has also fought Usyk (losing to the Ukrainian twice) and defeated Derek Chisora three times.
Fury overcame a scare in his boxing match against mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou in October 2023 by getting back up after being slammed to the canvas en route to the Gypsy King winning a split decision.
He is currently making his fifth appearance coming out of retirement to face Mahmudov.
Who is Mahmudov?
Mahmudov had a solid performance after turning professional, reaching 18 wins and 0 losses before suffering his first loss by stoppage to Agit Kabayer in December 2023.
But while he’s amassed a number of impressive knockouts and wins over decent fighters like Dave Allen and Carlos Takam, he also lost to Guido Vianello after a break due to a swollen eye, and he’ll face a whole new level of quality in Fury.
This week, Makhmudov spoke about the time he once went to Moscow to fight a bear.
“To be honest, it was pretty bad,” he told the Guardian. “One of my friends offered me (to fight a bear).
“He said, “Do you want to build something crazy?” I said, “Okay, I can’t say no.” But I’ll never do it again. A bear tried to bite me, but I’m glad it didn’t happen. ”
What does Fury say about this fight?
The Gypsy King told the BBC this week that he was feeling “better than I’ve ever felt” and “as sharp as I’ve ever been” and was motivated by the prospect of facing a truly dangerous opponent in Makhmudov.
“I know this guy is a ruthless killer and can take me down with one shot…That means I have to be in shape to deal with this guy,” he said.
However, Fury is already looking ahead to a possible matchup should Joshua defeat Mahmudov.
“I’m thinking about Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night, but everything is going well[Joshua]is the next fight I want,” he told the BBC.
What does Mahmudov say about this battle?
The Dagestani fighter described Fury as a “legend” in an interview with the Guardian and said he was relishing the opportunity to compete against him.
“I don’t know how I can beat (Fury), but of course I believe I will win,” Mahmudov said. “This man is a legend, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.”
He added: “Tyson Fury is a professor of mind and boxing. A lot of boxing is mental and he’s a master. But boxing is also mental. I’m going to be strong, mental and smart.”
“You could say it’s a battle between the spiritual and the spiritual. We’ll see who is more successful. Inshallah, this is a spiritual thing.”
form guide
Fury’s last 5 fights:
December 21, 2024: vs. Usyk (Usyk wins by unanimous decision) May 18, 2024: vs. Usyk (Usyk wins by split decision) October 28, 2023: vs. Ngannou (Fury wins by split decision) December 3, 2022: vs. Derek Chisora III (Fury wins by TKO in the 10th round) April 23, 2022: vs. Dillian Whyte (Fury wins by TKO in the 6th round).
Makhmudov’s last 5 matches:
October 11, 2025: vs. Allen (Makhmudov wins by unanimous decision) June 27, 2025: vs. Rocardo Brown (Makhmudov wins by 1st round TKO) August 17, 2024: vs. Vianello (Vianello wins after doctor stoppage, 8th round) May 25, 2024: vs Mirjan Rovkanin (Makhmudov won by TKO in the first round) 2) December 23, 2023: vs Kabayer (Kabayer won by TKO in round 4).
What is the status of Fury’s father “Big John” Fury?
The Gypsy King’s father, John, has played a volatile role in recent matches, frequently calling out his son’s entourage, but it is unclear whether he will feature in this weekend’s match due to a falling out between the two sides.
John Fury last month urged his son to retire after his trilogy fight with Wilder, saying his son was “past his best” and “no longer good enough.”
Tyson Fury said: “I don’t care if he’s there or not. I have things to do and it doesn’t really matter to me who’s in the crowd.”
“I don’t know what happened, but he’s entitled to his opinion and I’m sure he’ll change it a million times.”
Things to be careful about in the opening act
Conor Benn will face former super lightweight world champion Regis Prograis in the co-main event.
It will be Benn’s first fight since defeating arch-rival Chris Eubank Jr. in November, and his first under promoter Zuffa Boxing after his acrimonious split with Matchroom Promotions.
Jimmy Chikeba, known professionally as Jimmy TKV, will defend his British heavyweight title against Richard Riakpohe.
Frazer-Clare, who was defeated by Jamie TKV to win the title, will be looking to make a comeback against Justice Huni.
complete match card
Main card:
Fury vs Makhmudov – Heavyweight Conor Benn vs Regis Prograis – Welterweight Jimmy Tchikeba (Champion) vs Richard Liakpolhe – British Heavyweight Title Fraser Clarke vs Justice Houni – Heavyweight
Qualifying:
Simon Zatchenhuber vs. Pawel August – Middleweight Breyon Gorham vs. Eduardo Costa – Light Welterweight Mikie Tallon vs. Leonard Blanc – Flyweight Felix Cash vs. Liam O’Hare – Middleweight Hector Lozano vs. Sultan Almohamed – Super Featherweight Elliott Whale vs. Tom Hill – Welterweight
