John Fury believes that Arslanbek Makhmudov is a ‘problem’ for his son, who he suspects is ‘finished’ after encountering one particular heavyweight.
‘The Gypsy King’ will face Makhmudov at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, fighting for the first time since his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.
Back then, the Ukrainian produced a calculated display to which Fury was unable to find an answer, resulting in him losing a clear unanimous decision.
Earlier that year, however, the Morecambe man enjoyed far more success in their first encounter, before ultimately losing by split decision following a ninth-round knockdown.
But while Fury suffered defeats to Usyk in two hard-fought battles, his father, John, believes the Deontay Wilder trilogy is what did the most damage.
Their first contest, in 2018, saw Fury climb off the canvas on two occasions before the fight ended in a highly-contentious draw.
The Brit then dished out a punishing seven-round beatdown in their rematch, producing arguably a career-best performance to claim the WBC world title in 2020.
As for their trilogy showdown the following year, a five-knockdown sizzler saw Fury emerge with an 11th-round stoppage victory, but only after getting floored twice in round four.
Due to the brutal nature of their trilogy, John Fury has told Playbook Boxing that Tyson is no longer a ‘formidable’ man, but rather a shadow of his former self.
“Tyson has been gone since the Deontay Wilder fights. They finished him. He’s not got a leg underneath him.
“Makhmudov is a problem for Tyson. I am the first one to say it. His legs aren’t there anymore. I understand the only way he will believe that, and see that, is when the first bell rings.
“Tyson was a formidable man, but when you fight one of the hardest punchers in boxing history three times, it takes something out of you.
“Don’t forget, in the last fight he went down [twice from] huge, heavy punches. He fought his heart out, went to the absolute limit, and gave everything he had to get that knockout. But when he got it, he had nothing left afterwards.”
John’s now fractured relationship with Tyson – which he says is now ‘destroyed’ – means many will take his judgement with a pinch of salt, remembering instead the heavyweight’s two stellar wins over Wilder.
