Boxing
Keys to Victory: Where will Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov land major damage?
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Tyson Fury makes his return to boxing tonight after falling short in two losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury will clash with Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to headline a card live on Netflix.
‘The Gypsy King’ has not fought since losing his rematch to Usyk by unanimous decision in December 2024. The former unified heavyweight champion of the world brings a 34-2-1 record with 24 knockouts to the ring. Meanwhile, Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) enters tonight’s bout riding a two-fight win streak, having stopped Ricardo Brown in a first-round TKO in June and edged David Allen via unanimous decision in October.
Will Fury return like he never left and possibly bring us one step closer to a potential, mega showdown with Anthony Joshua? Or will Makhmudov set tremors through boxing by shocking ‘The Gypsy King’ in what would be a grand upset? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for each heavyweight.
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Tyson Fury’s Keys to Victory
Assert range with the jab
Tyson Fury has nearly a foot of reach advantage over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
By maximizing his 85 inches of reach with the jab, Fury can keep the aggressive Russian fighter at bay, where ‘The Gypsy King’ can poke away, plus bank points and rounds toward victory.
Keeping the fight on the outside could also be Fury’s best bet to working through possible ring rust he might experience.
Punish an incoming Makhmudov for pressuring
Makhmudov can be hit when pressuring and barreling forward, especially considering that he sometimes abandons his guard while stalking.
That puts the onus on Fury to punish the Russian heavyweight for pressuring ahead recklessly. Each time Fury spots this, he must unleash inside pain whether that comes in the form of a straight, piercing shot, a hook or an uppercut.
Use Makhmudov’s aggression against him
Fury is effective pressing forward or sitting on the back foot and operating from there as well.
Knowing Makhmudov is going to pressure in attempt to close the distance, Fury has the opportunity to use the Russian’s aggression against him.
Fury can achieve this by timing Makhmudov in traffic with pointed, stinging counters.
These shots can either keep Makhmudov trailing on the scorecards or get him out of there, altogether, in a demonstration of boxing levels.
DAZNArslanbek Makhmudov’s Keys to Victory
Show educated pressure early
Surrendering nearly a foot of reach to Tyson Fury, Arslanbek Makhmudov must get within the former unified world champ’s jab and close the distance.
This might entail Makhmudov eating a jab or two to demand that inside position, though he must force cramped quarters with early, educated pressure.
To navigate this, Makhmudov should look for sensible moments when he could pounce forward.
Let hands go
In fighting forward, Makhmudov must let his hands go and drive up his punch count.
After all, what better way to unceremoniously welcome Fury back to boxing by taking his temperature for ring rust with a steady flow of high-volume punches?
In particular, Makhmudov sits on his hooks well, leveraging their maximum impact, which might be needed against ‘The Gypsy King.’
Do not abandon guard
When watching Makhmudov in action, there are times when the Russian fighter inexplicably lowers — or outright abandons — his guard.
Doing this against a world-class heavyweight like Fury would spell Makhmudov’s doom.
He cannot be lulled into compromising positions like this, making it all the more vital to show and maintain a high, disciplined guard.
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