Arslanbek Makhmudov spends Tyson Fury press conference on his phone as event falls flat
Comment: Makhmudov appeared disinterested as Fury ranted in his usual fashion, two days before their heavyweight clash in London
Arslanbek Makhmudov appeared disinterested in what Tyson Fury had to say on Thursday, as the Russian spent much of their press conference typing on his phone. Admittedly there is somewhat of a language barrier between the Russian and the Briton , but Makhmudov’s attitude might just have reflected that of viewers as the event failed to spark into life. Fury will fight Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday , as the “Gypsy King” emerges from his fifth retirement from boxing – and competes on home soil for the first time in three-and-a-half years.
Tyson Fury, two days out from his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov (Getty Images for Netflix) It remains to be seen how many tickets have been and will be sold for the bout, which will stream live on Netflix and is sure to deliver solid viewing figures regardless of the stadium attendance. Still, it has been hard to judge the hype around the fight, with many boxing fans raising eyebrows at another Fury comeback. And Thursday’s press conference in Canary Wharf fell flat overall, with the heavyweights taking to the stage after 7.
30pm, 90 minutes after the advertised start time. The event ended with Makhmudov lifting Fury off the ground in a light-hearted moment, but the Russian had spent much of the press conference on his phone, typing. Fury simply said of that behaviour, “He’s beat,” while speaking to Netflix’s analysts after the press conference, at which he had insisted: “People always question retirement for me; I’ve retired five times before and wholeheartedly meant it five times.
“After a few months, I’m like bored of the normal life – dropping the kids off at school, taking the dog for a walk, that sort of stuff – and I miss the game. “This time, there were a couple of defining moments for me that made that decision for me to come back, and one of them was my longtime rival Anthony Joshua’s crash over in Nigeria. When I heard that news, it was so sad, and I thought to myself: ‘Life is so short.