Eddie Hearn backs Tyson Fury to beat Makhmudov but adds ‘shot’ warning

Eddie Hearn needs Tyson Fury to win on April 11, and his prediction reflects that as much as any technical read on the fight.

Hearn said Fury would “win every round” against Arslanbek Makhmudov and take a points decision, but he built in one clear condition. “Not a big threat unless Tyson Fury’s shot, and I don’t believe he is at all,” he told reporters when asked about the matchup.

That qualifier does most of the work. Fury is coming off two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, including a first fight where he was badly hurt and close to being stopped, followed by a rematch where he looked heavier and less sharp. Those performances have already led to questions about where he is physically, and Hearn’s wording reflects that uncertainty even as he backs him to win.

There is also a clear reason for Hearn to lean in Fury’s direction. A victory keeps alive the long-discussed fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the matchup Hearn has been pushing for years with Joshua as Matchroom’s leading name. A loss or even a poor performance from Fury would reduce the appeal of that fight and make it harder to position as a major event later in the year.

Hearn’s comments, then, are less about Makhmudov as an opponent and more about which version of Fury shows up. If Fury still has enough left, Hearn expects a routine win. If not, the outcome changes, and so does the future of one of the biggest fights in the division.

Hearn is backing Fury, but he is also leaving himself room if the version that shows up looks closer to the one seen in his last two fights.