Tyson Fury has vowed to remain fully concentrated on his Saturday bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov, insisting he will not make the error of underestimating an opponent while speculation swirls around a potential all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Speaking at Thursday's press conference in Canary Wharf, the 'Gypsy King' remained guarded when questioned about a prospective clash with his domestic rival, even as negotiations for the highly anticipated contest continue behind the scenes.
Fury, who holds a record of 34-2-1 with 24 knockouts, appeared determined to keep his attention fixed on the Canadian-based Makhmudov, a powerful puncher boasting 19 knockouts from 21 victories.
Peter McKenna, chief executive of Croke Park, has confirmed that discussions are already taking place regarding the Dublin venue hosting the blockbuster encounter.
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The iconic Irish stadium, capable of accommodating more than 80,000 fans, has emerged as the preferred location for what would be one of British boxing's most significant heavyweight clashes.
A deal appeared within reach back in December before Joshua stepped away from boxing following the tragic deaths of two close friends in a car accident.
The 29-4 fighter has since returned to training and was spotted at the O2 Arena last Saturday, watching Derek Chisora's loss to Deontay Wilder.
Fury said: "Well, I don’t want to be mentioning anybody’s name and name-dropping when I have got a dangerous heavyweight in front of me in Arslanbek Makhmudov."
Tyson Fury has vowed to remain fully concentrated on his Saturday bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov
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The British boxer added: "All those other t*****s can wait their turn to get a good hiding.
"First, I’ve got to deal with him and give him a good hiding because many men have overlooked the first huddle at bigger names and been chinned…Anthony Joshua did that before.
"So, we’re not going to go there because that is what I don’t want.
"We will focus on one man here, Makhmudov, and come Sunday, you can ask me all the questions you want about any heavyweight in the world, but give this man his respect."
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Tyson Fury insists he will not make the error of underestimating an opponent while speculation swirls around a potential all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua
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Fury continued: "Like I said when Daniel Dubois was fighting Anthony Joshua (in 2024), everybody said and all the boxing brains said, ‘AJ will knock him out inside three rounds,’ and they were overlooking him. ‘Are you going to fight Tyson next?’
"And I said you better put some respect on Dubois’ name because he’s going to chin him and that’s what happened. So, I won’t fall down that same hurdle and trap."
Fury again reiterated on Thursday that the death of Joshua’s close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele in Nigeria influenced his decision to reverse his retirement from boxing because "you have to live every day like it’s your last" before his 38th contest.
All roads currently lead to fight number 39 being against Joshua, especially after key figures at Croke Park let slip plans to stage Katie Taylor on the undercard of any potential ‘Battle of Britain’ in Dublin.
Speaking at Thursday's press conference in Canary Wharf, the 'Gypsy King' remained guarded when questioned about a prospective clash with his domestic rival
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"The real hope is that we will get Tyson Fury here later on in the year" Croke Park stadium chief executive Peter McKenna told BBC Sport.
"That would be such a world-billing event that we would be able to facilitate a Katie Taylor fight here. A lot of stars need to align. Katie’s manager needs to agree, Katie’s promoter needs to agree, Tyson Fury’s promoter needs to agree. I am very confident that all three are coming to the sense."
Fury was lifted in the air by Makhmudov during a friendly face-off, but could not help but tease future plans for 2026 when he spoke on Ring’s YouTube channel later on Thursday.
Fury confirmed: "As far as I am concerned, I will focus on this big Russian fella, then Anthony Joshua and maybe a third fight (with Usyk)."