Tyson Fury’s comeback opponent could be KO artist who Anthony Joshua ‘promised’ to fight

Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will have to overcome a hurdle to make their dream fight happen.

On Friday, Ring Magazine reported that Fury vs Joshua is targeted for 2026, though an additional key detail was shared that caused some concern.

It was noted that both men would take on different opponents first before meeting at a Riyadh Season “mega-event”.

Of course, Joshua needs to get past Jake Paul first on December 19, which he’s acknowledged needs to be an impressive finish in order to live up to expectations.

As for ‘The Gypsy King’, one name has already been linked with his comeback opponent following an unsurprisingly short-lived retirement.

Arslanbek Makhmudov reportedly in consideration to face Tyson Fury in 2026

There have been promising signs surrounding the potential bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in recent months.

Following his retirement in 2024, it was clear that Fury’s goal was another fight with Oleksandr Usyk, but finally going head-to-head with ‘AJ’ is the bout that fans want to see.

It was reported by Gareth A Davies on December 14 that a name is already in contention to welcome ‘The Gypsy King’ back to the ring before he goes on to face Joshua.

Arslanbek Makhmudov boasts a professional record of 21-2 with 19 of his wins coming by way of knockout.

The Russian has recently bounced back from the second TKO loss of his career by stopping Ricardo Brown and beating David Allen via unanimous decision to win the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.

After this win, Makhmudov told Sky Sports that Joshua had promised to fight him if he’d got past Allen, sharing screenshots of a conversation between the two men on social media.

Joshua, who had been hoping to return to the ring as soon as possible, may have considered a fight against Makhmudov a good step for him until he received an offer to face Jake Paul instead.

Arslanbek Makhmudov shares multiple common opponents with Anthony Joshua

When speaking about a potential matchup with Anthony Joshua, Arslanbek Makhmudov told Sky Sports about the narrative that would surround the fight.

He pointed out how he’d beaten Mahammadrasul Majidov and Mihai Nistor while he was an amateur, who both got the better of ‘AJ’ before he turned pro.

Makhmudov also holds a win over Carlos Takam, having beaten the veteran via unanimous decision in 2022 to win the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight title.

Takam was stopped by Joshua five years before in the Brit’s first fight since knocking out Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA and IBO heavyweight titles.