Boxing
Bellew ponders Fury hunger ahead of Makhmudov showdown
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Tony Bellew wants to see how Tyson Fury performs against Arslanbek Makhmudov so he will know just how hungry the former world champion is.
The fight will be Fury’s first bout since the end of 2024 when he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk for a second time.
In the immediate aftermath of that contest, Fury announced he was walking away from boxing, but he has once again gone back on his retirement, and he will end 16 months of inactivity against Makhmudov.
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Fury goes into the fight under pressure to perform as potential fights against Anthony Joshua and the winner of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois could be next.
Makhmudov is standing in the way of those lucrative battles, and Fury knows he will need to be at his best against a fighter who made light work of Dave Allen on his previous trip to Britain last October.
Bellew, a former cruiserweight world champion who briefly campaigned at heavyweight, was once linked to a fight with Fury back in 2018 and he believes Saturday’s event will tell us how much Fury has left to offer.
“Only he knows the answer to whether he still has the hunger. But this fight will show us,” said Bellew when speaking to Sportscasting.com.
“His opponent will be in his face, asking questions, and if Fury doesn’t want to be there, it’ll show quickly. Technically, Fury is levels above — but if there are any doubts about his desire, they’ll come out.”
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