Boxing’s April winners and losers: Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua finally on, Deontay Wilder really won, and is Conor Benn’s aura gone?

You win some, you lose some — that’s life, baby. And boxing is no different. We weren’t short of stories in the world of boxing across April, but the start of spring was kinder to some than others.

Let’s get straight into a look back at what April served up in the boxing world: Winners Tyson Fury If you return from your fifth retirement to chalk up an easy win in front of (close to) 60,000 fans — and in the same month sign a multi-million dollar deal to fight your biggest career rival — then you deserve to be called a winner. Sure, there are pages of small print attached. We still don’t have a date or venue for Fury’s overdue heavyweight duel with Anthony Joshua, but the right noises are coming from the right places to suggest that this time — yes, this time — it’ll come to fruition.

In the ring, Fury looked better than most expected against the tough Arslanbek Makhmudov. But other than dodging a few wild swings from the Canadian-Russian in the opening two rounds, he wasn’t exactly tested the way he should have been after another spell of inactivity. We might not see the "Gypsy King” back in the ring before the Joshua fight in the fall — and for the sake of the health of this heavyweight grudge match, let’s hope we don’t — so keep your eyes peeled at the end of the year to see which column Fury falls into next time in what could prove the be the definitive fight of his career.

Tyson Fury exchanges words with Anthony Joshua after his fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, 2026, in London. Mark Robinson via Getty Images Deontay Wilder Speaking of returns: Wilder’s back! “The Bronze Bomber” won a messy fight against veteran Derek Chisora at the start of the month.