Tyson Fury returns to action on Saturday night, live on Netflix, and our expert Chris Oliver previews the action.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday April 11
2pts Tyson Fury to win by decision 17/5 (Bet MGM)
1pt Conor Benn to win by decision 10/3 (Ladbrokes)
The big man is back, again.
Tyson Fury comes out of his latest retirement this weekend and, if you believe the man himself, he is returning because boxing needs him.
In reality, it is Fury who needs boxing and that is why he ends his 16-month hiatus when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, with Netflix dipping their toe back into the boxing waters to screen the show.
Makhmudov can be backed at 9/2 while Fury is a top price of 2/9, but returning from such a long absence at the age of 37 can be dangerous and we don’t really know what to expect from ‘The Gypsy King’.
We do, however, know what we’re going to get from Makhmudov (21-2), a 6’6” Russian with the looks of a James Bond villain who hits hard and has stopped 19 of his victims. However, aside from his stature and power, he is slow and very limited technically.
Those flaws were exposed in his two defeats, when stopped by Agit Kabayel (TKO 4) and Guido Vianello (TKO 8), with his stamina after a fast start a problem in both of those contests.
Fury vs Makhmudov: Full Fight Card
- Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov - Heavyweight
- Conor Benn vs Regis Prograis - 150lbs catchweight
- Jeamie Tshikeva vs Richard Riakporhe - Heavyweight
- Frazer Clarke vs Justis Huni - Heavyweight
- Breyon Gorham vs Eduardo Costa Do Nascimento - Super lightweight
- Felix Cash vs Liam O'Hare - Middleweight
- Pawel August vs Simon Zachenhuber - Super middleweight
- Mikie Tallon vs Leandro Jose Blanc - Flyweight
- Elliot Whale vs Tom Hill - Welterweight
- Hector Avila Lozano vs Sultan Almohammed - Lightweight
- Francis Gorman vs Ryan Labourn - Heavyweight
So, it is easy to see why he has been chosen for the comeback of Fury, who should have no problem finding the target and is much more skilled than the underdog.
For Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), the layoff and his age are the main concerns. He was last seen losing for the second time to Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed title contest in December 2024.
Having lost the first fight by split decision, the pair engaged in another hard-fought 12-rounder, but the margin was wider on the cards in the rematch, and, like the first encounter, the right man certainly got the nod from the judges. Fury says he was hard done by in both of those contests with the Ukrainian maestro, but whether he believes that is another thing as Usyk put on a superb display of boxing on both occasions.
Barring being undisputed champion, Fury has achieved it all in the sport and has secured his family’s future several times over, so why is he returning?
Money and the lure of a potential match with long-time rival Anthony Joshua are two possible reasons, but the main one appears to be that Fury struggles without boxing in his life and that makes a comeback at his age all the more dangerous. He has nothing left to prove and the signs of decline have been there for a while.
Fury v Makhmudov: Big fight details & TV coverage
- When and where: Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Start time: Undercard approx 1900 BST Saturday, Main Event approx 2200 BST
- TV channel and cost: Netflix (Just subscription cost from £4.99 per month)
Prior to the Usyk defeats, he didn’t look great in his victories over domestic rivals Dillian Whyte (TKO 6) and Derek Chisora (TKO 10), before he was very lucky to escape with a narrow decision against MMA star Francis Ngannou.
As a result, we shouldn’t be expecting a vintage version of Fury this weekend, or ever again, but how much that will matter against Makhmudov is the big question.
The latter bounced back from his latest defeat with a first-round stoppage against Ricardo Brown before coming to the UK and posting a unanimous decision victory over cult hero Dave Allen. Makhmudov showed he can do 12 rounds in Sheffield that night and ran out a very convincing winner.
He also showed, once again, how easy he is to hit and while he displayed a good chin on that occasion, even a past-his-best Fury will have no problems finding the target this weekend.
Makhmudov will be dangerous early doors, with serious power and a huge frame, but Fury knows better than most heavyweights how to look after himself and has proven he can bounce back even when he does get clipped.
Makhmudov seemingly needs a knockout, which is priced up at 7/1, and probably needs one early on because the longer and more skilful Fury should be able to outbox his man easily enough once he is through those dangerous opening few sessions.
It is just 4/6 that Fury wins by stoppage, such is the ease with which Makhmudov can be hit and his lack of movement. There is no getting away from the prospect of Fury making the most of the stationary target in front of him and Makhmudov running out of gas for Fury to win inside the distance.
However, I can’t help thinking that it has been priced up on the theory that Fury is returning at something close to his best and that is far from guaranteed after the veteran has been out of the ring for such a long time.
Ring rust is sure to be there, and we don’t know what sort of shape Fury is going to be in, and that is before you consider any further natural decline since we last saw him in the ring.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t envisage Fury declining so much that he loses here, but a lacklustre version of the former champion brings him winning a decision very much into play at 17/5.
The version who faced Ngannou would certainly struggle to stop Makhmudov and Fury was also returning from a long layoff on that occasion, plus he has lost twice since.
Without knowing how much Fury has left, I am happy to take the much longer odds about him winning by decision rather than him forcing a stoppage.
Benn to make his points
Conor Benn has been in the headlines in recent months but not for fighting and he is back in action against Regis Prograis in the co-main event.
Somewhat controversially, Benn has chosen to turn his back on Matchroom, who stood by him through his two failed drugs test and all of the drama that came with that, to sign with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing for this fight.
An eight-figure deal for someone who is yet to prove that he is world level may have been more about points scoring over their rivals than business sense, and now Benn has to deliver his side of the bargain in the ring.
Like the deal he managed to negotiate, Benn is priced up on reputation rather than achievements here, with 1/10 the best you can get about him and Prograis is as big as 10/1.
After all, Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) is a former two-weight world champion who has mixed with some of the best at 135lbs and 140lbs. This is being fought at a catchweight of 150lbs, though, and the American is now 37. Prograis is being brought in as a faded ‘name’ who is smaller than Benn and can make the latter look good.
Benn was last seen gaining revenge over Chris Eubank Jr with a one-sided points victory in November and his star power has never been greater on the back of that high-profile victory. Eubank Jr looked dead at the weight, though, and exactly what Benn beat that night is open to debate.
Benn will be the bigger man here and if rumours of an injury to Prograis are true, then the favourite to win by stoppage at 4/11 should be about right. However, if the underdog is fit and coming to win, then Benn may have to work harder for a victory than those odds would suggest.
After all, he is coming down from two fights with Eubank Jr at 160lbs and such a dramatic drop back in weight can have a negative impact on a fighter’s performance. Also, Benn laboured to points wins against moderate opposition in Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson prior to those two battles and he looked anything but a world beater in those outings.
So, I am yet to be sold on Benn’s ability at the top level and Prograis has achieved an awful lot more in the sport than Benn has to date, so it could be worth chancing that the latter has to go the full 10 rounds in order to get the victory. A decision win for Benn is 10/3 and that could represent some value.
Posted at 1500 BST on 10/04/25
Boxing: Related content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
Both of these like to go for the knockout and they carry power, but I expect Marshall to have too much on her return to boxing and the 4/1 about her getting a stoppage looks too big to me.
