Arslanbek Makhmudov was the last person to face Tyson Fury, so he is well placed to predict how he will get on with Anthony Joshua.
Fury spent the whole of 2025 in retirement following two back-to-back losses to the great Oleksandr Usyk, who went on to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight ruler .
After taking time out to recover, Fury announced his return in early 2026 and the first time he stepped back into the ring was in April against the towering Russian, who was fresh off a win over Dave Allen, and had only previously lost to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello, both by stoppage.
Fury got the job done over 12 rounds without taking too much punishment, which set him up for talks with Joshua about their long-awaited showdown.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Makhmudov reflected on his own fight with Fury and predicted a straightforward victory for him when he faces ‘AJ.’
“I gave him very hard firefight. Of course, maybe I did not do enough to win, but I did a good fight and gave him good punch. Now, he’s ready for Joshua. 100% he can beat him. I think he beat him easy now.”
Before that fight, which is expected to come later in the year, though a decision is still being made about whether it will be in the UK or the US, Fury takes on Mariusz Wach on July 24th in another warm-up out in Thailand.
Joshua, meanwhile, has his first fight since beating Jake Paul in December last year when he takes on Kristian Prenga the night after Fury fights.
