Arslanbek Makhmudov’s dreams come true on Apr. 11 when he fights Tyson Fury at one of England’s premier soccer venues, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, but warns the more experienced, accomplished, and famous fighter that he’s not arriving in the country to simply make up the numbers.
Fury has not fought since back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 and, speaking to reporters at a media event Feb. 16, his long-time promoter Frank Warren suggested two future opponents that one of his premier athletes could head into, once he handles business against Makhmudov on Netflix — an Usyk trilogy bout, if not the Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois winner in May.
For Makhmudov, this is perhaps indicative that the team is not treating him seriously as an opponent. Though the Russian has never fought anyone close to Fury’s level, he still possesses a 90% knockout ratio, has scored 13 first-round finishes, and is riding the momentum of a three-fight winning streak with a unanimous decision over David Allen in his last bout, in October, last year.
“I was so happy” to get the Fury fight, Makhmudov told Ring Magazine. “It’s exactly like a dream fight for me; a big opportunity.”
“He’s treating this fight as a warm-up but I promise it won’t be a warm-up for him. It will be a war.”
He continued: “My job is to show it will be terrible for him.”
Even recent boxing history suggests its a fool’s errand to overlook an opponent while eyeing bigger bouts down the line. Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo notably fought on the same card in 2025, and were linked with a heated rivalry built on bad blood, in a prospective fight for later that year.
And while Charlo did his part by stopping Thomas LaManna in the sixth round at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas that year, Plant went on to lose to wild underdog Jose Resendiz in one of the year’s biggest upsets. Then, suddenly, Plant vs Charlo never seemed so far from happening.
For Makhmudov, history could repeat itself.
“Tyson Fury has been a big champion,” he told Netflix. “I will be more ready than ever to leave with a massive W.”