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Tyson Fury insisted \u201cI\u2019ve still got it\u201d as the former world heavyweight champion vowed to focus on the task at hand in his latest return to the ring.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fury is up against Russian-born heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov in a bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday following a 15-month absence.<\/p>\n The pair spoke during a pre-fight press conference in London on Thursday, just hours after the chief executive of Croke Park said the 80,000-capacity Dublin venue wanted to stage the long-awaited \u2018Battle of Britain\u2019 super-fight between Fury and fellow former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.<\/p>\n Fury and Joshua have almost fought on several occasions, only for contract disputes, fitness issues, and losses elsewhere to derail previous attempts to get them into the same ring.<\/p>\n Their camps had reportedly been close to an agreement before Joshua decided to take time out from boxing following a car crash, which led to the death of two close friends in December.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old Joshua, however, is now back in training and was present for Derek Chisora\u2019s defeat by Deontay Wilder last Saturday.<\/p>\n Fury, however, insisted Thursday: \u201cI don\u2019t want to mention names when I\u2019ve got a dangerous fighter in front of me. The rest can get a hiding, but I need to give Makhmudov a hiding first.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cLike I said when Daniel Dubois was fighting Anthony Joshua (in 2024), everybody said and all the boxing brains said, \u2018AJ will knock him out inside three rounds,\u2019 and they were overlooking him. \u2018Are you going to fight Tyson next?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I said you better put some respect on Dubois\u2019 name because he\u2019s going to chin him, and that\u2019s what happened. So, I won\u2019t fall down that same hurdle and trap.\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, he did hint at future plans for 2026 when he spoke on Ring\u2019s YouTube channel later on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I am concerned, I will focus on this big Russian fella, then Anthony Joshua and maybe a third fight (with Oleksandr Usyk),\u201d Fury said.<\/p>\n The 37-year-old Fury retired after his second successive loss to world champion Usyk at the end of 2024 and went a calendar year without a fight before revealing his latest comeback on January 4.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople always question retirement for me,\u201d said Fury, who on Thursday reiterated the inspiration for this return was the death of Joshua\u2019s friends because \u201cyou have got to live every day like it is your last\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Bored of The Normal Life\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve retired five times before and meant it wholeheartedly. I\u2019ve come back four times successfully, and we\u2019ll see if it\u2019s five.<\/p>\n \u201cMake no mistake, when I retire, I have zero intention of returning, but I miss the game. However, after a few months, I am bored of the normal life. Dropping the kids off at school, taking the dogs for a walk, that kind of stuff. I miss everything that comes with big fights,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n John Fury, Tyson\u2019s father and long a familiar figure in the corner as his son rose through the boxing ranks, said last month a trio of gruelling fights against Deontay Wilder meant the \u2018Gypsy King\u2019 is \u201cpast his best\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTyson has been gone since the Deontay Wilder fights, they finished him\u2026Makhmudov is a problem for Tyson, said John Fury.<\/p>\n But Tyson said Thursday: \u201cI\u2019ve never lost my speed of reactions. I\u2019ve still got it. 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n And Makhmudov played down suggestions that Fury, \u201ca great boxer\u201d, would be hampered by a recent lack of competitive ring time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a problem for him because of his experience,\u201d said Makhmudov, 36, who briefly grabbed Fury in a playful bear hug.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s the opposite because he can recover from hard fights in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n AFP<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n