Tyson Fury Breaks Down Arslanbek Makhmudov Over 12 Rounds for Unanimous Decision in London – Highlights

Tyson Fury lost the early chaos, settled the fight with his jab and clinch game, and took a clear decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov in London

Written by Jake Blend
Last updated on April 12th, 2026
Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury - Image via @netflixsports X.com

Tyson Fury got the win, but this was not one of those nights where he shut down every argument about where he stands. He beat Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision on April 11 in London after surviving a hot start, dragging the fight into his kind of ugly rhythm, and taking over once Makhmudov’s early pressure stopped looking dangerous and started looking expensive. That gave Fury another heavyweight win, and it also gave the division a reminder that he can still solve problems in the ring even when the answer is not especially pretty. It also lands not long after the Fury vs. Makhmudov weigh-in and faceoff and after another big heavyweight fight week in London that already saw Deontay Wilder edge Derek Chisora.

Makhmudov made the first round ugly and forced Fury to adjust fast. After that, Fury got behind the jab, slowed the pace, and took the fight out of Makhmudov’s hands.

Tyson Fury dragged the fight where he wanted and stayed there

From there, Fury kept making the better decisions, controlled the rough exchanges, and closed out a clear decision without ever needing a desperate finish.

Round-by-round recap

Round 1:
Makhmudov exploded out of the gate and made Fury deal with real heat immediately. He backed him up, crowded him near the ropes, and landed enough hard shots to turn the opening minute into a mess.

Fury stayed calm, but he was reacting instead of commanding the pace. The jab appeared in flashes, though it was Makhmudov doing the forcing and making the round feel urgent.

That gave Makhmudov the cleaner start and probably his best round of the fight. He spent a lot of energy doing it, but he made sure Fury felt him early.

Round 2:
Fury looked more settled once the first-round burst wore off. He held the middle of the ring more often, straightened out his punches, and started making Makhmudov pay for charging in without much setup.

The jab landed more regularly and the footwork looked more organized. Makhmudov still had moments, but they already felt less dangerous because Fury was reading the entries better.

This was the round where Fury stopped giving Makhmudov the kind of exchanges he wanted. He got behind the jab, slowed the pace, and made the fight look more like his kind of night.

Round 3:
By the third, Fury was starting to box on his terms. He mixed stances, kept the range long, and kept touching Makhmudov before the bigger man could fully set his feet.

Makhmudov kept coming, but the attacks were easier to smother and easier to see coming. Fury also began sneaking in more work downstairs, which helped drain some of that early aggression.

The round had a much cleaner shape for Fury than the first two. Once he found the timing, Makhmudov’s pressure stopped looking like a real takeover threat.

Round 4:
Makhmudov had another lively push here and reminded Fury this was still a fight. He landed a few rugged shots and forced some rough exchanges that kept the round from turning into easy work.

Fury still responded with the tidier punching and better counters in open space. Even when Makhmudov had success, Fury was usually the one finishing the sequence cleaner.

That kept things competitive, but it also felt like one of Makhmudov’s last serious stands. After this point, the fight started looking more like resistance than momentum from his side.

Round 5:
Fury started making the fight feel heavy in this round. He used the jab to control distance, leaned on Makhmudov in close, and kept making him reset after every forward push.

Nothing huge happened, but that was part of the problem for Makhmudov. Fury was turning the fight into work, and every clinch or long exchange seemed to cost Makhmudov a little more energy.

The danger from the opening rounds was fading out. Fury was quietly building the kind of control that wins long heavyweight fights.

Round 6:
Makhmudov was still trying to come forward, but the sharpness had begun leaving his offense. Fury slipped the entries better, touched the body, and looked comfortable once the fight got rough inside.

He was no longer dealing with panic moments. He was seeing the attacks, answering them, and taking away any clean breathing room Makhmudov wanted.

This round felt like full control from Fury. The fight had turned from early danger into a long problem Makhmudov could not solve.

Round 7:
Makhmudov deserves credit for still walking forward because a lot of big heavyweights would have slipped into survival mode by then.

The problem was that the pressure had lost most of its sting and Fury kept landing the cleaner, easier shots.

Fury was not chasing anything reckless. He was just stacking another round with smart work, clean touches, and the better decisions in every exchange.

That made the round look simple, but it was one-sided in the important ways. Makhmudov’s effort was still there, though the offense was fading fast.

Round 8:
This was one of Fury’s best offensive rounds of the night. He landed a sharp shot that clearly buzzed Makhmudov and brought some noise out of the crowd.

The interesting part was what came next. Fury did not go crazy looking for the finish and instead went back to control, which told you exactly how he wanted to manage the night.

He hurt Makhmudov, then chose order over chaos. That choice summed up the whole fight better than any single punch did.

Round 9:
The fight dropped into the kind of ugly veteran rhythm Fury usually loves. There was more clinch work, more body touching, and more little control moments than big dramatic exchanges.

Makhmudov tried to keep coming, but Fury kept turning those advances into stalled sequences and roughhouse work. That left Makhmudov doing plenty of effort without getting much clean reward back.

It was not flashy material, but it was effective. Fury had dragged the fight exactly where he wanted it and kept it there.

Round 10:
Fury’s inside work stood out strongly here. He landed harder in close, pushed Makhmudov toward the ropes, and had stretches where it looked like he might finally press for a stoppage.

Makhmudov stayed upright and kept showing grit, which is probably the main reason the fight reached the final bell. Still, he was taking the worse of the exchanges and wearing every bit of them.

This round was not just another point on the card. It was Fury making Makhmudov feel the accumulated damage of the whole fight.

Round 11:
Fury’s corner may have wanted more urgency, but Fury fought like a man who knew he was comfortably ahead. He flicked the jab, controlled positioning, and stayed disciplined rather than gambling for something flashy.

Makhmudov was still there, but by now he looked more focused on lasting than changing the result. The threat level had dropped and Fury knew it.

That made the round feel procedural, but not empty. Fury was still dictating the shape and speed of everything that happened.

Round 12:
Makhmudov still had enough toughness left to keep coming, which says a lot after how much work he had absorbed. Fury answered the last push the same way he answered almost everything after round one, with cleaner punches and better timing.

There was no wild twist late and no dramatic momentum swing. Fury kept the exchanges under control and closed the fight with the better work again.

The last round did not change the story. It just confirmed what the previous several rounds had already shown, that Fury had taken over and never let the fight slip back.

Fight-night tweets and highlights are below:

Published on April 11, 2026 at 6:08 pm
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Jake Blend

Jake Blend
Jake Blend holds Bachelors in Journalism and has a passion for writing about mixed martial arts and any combat sports.

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