Arslanbek Makhmudov recently caught the attention of the boxing world by wrestling a bear in Dagestan. And from the first round on Saturday night, he seemed to realise that wrestling Tyson Fury was a better option than boxing him. Yet on this occasion, that’s no comment on the wizardry that Fury can produce in the ring, but rather on Makhmudov’s flaws. The story of this fight was that, luckily for Fury, those flaws eclipsed the Briton’s own, increasingly apparent faults.

This wasn’t the triumphant return of the “Gypsy King”, see, but an underwhelming – perhaps even concerning – return to the ring from the former world heavyweight champion, as he emerged from his fifth retirement.

Sixteen months on from his second defeat by Oleksandr Usyk, Fury was back; three-and-a-half years after his last fight on home soil, he was back in Britain. The goal of this points win over Makhmudov was to set up a long-overdue duel with compatriot Anthony Joshua, who watched on from the front row, and while that contest still gets the juices flowing (just), Fury’s performance here did not.

In the cold shell of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before a smattering of empty seats, Makhmudov came forward in laboured movements, hurling overhands that Fury could see coming before his opponent had even dreamed them up.

Yet one early entry did trouble Fury enough to elicit an echoing “ooh!” from the stands, as a right hand connected over the top. Early in the second round, there was also a nervy movement for Fury, who was arguably backing up too frequently in a passive start. Maybe there was an element of the 37-year-old simply wishing to stay mobile and remote from Makhmudov in the earliest rounds, in which the Russian is at his most dangerous, but Fury was doing little besides throwing sporadic jabs to the body.

Perhaps they were an investment for the later rounds, though, and in any case, it didn’t take long for him to shift gears. But are there as many gears as before?

Fury began to let his hands go as round two neared its conclusion, and anticipation rose when he sidestepped Makhmudov and attacked with the 36-year-old trapped against the ropes. By the third round, a trend had emerged, with Fury able to slingshot himself off the ropes at just the right moment, getting close enough to force Makhmudov to overshoot with his right hand.

Still, after continually allowing the Russian to steer him towards the ropes, Fury was caught flush by a left hook, again stirring up some nervousness in round four. However, Makhmudov’s efforts to build on the attack were messy, and although he landed another left before long, Fury again turned him against the ropes and slid a cross onto his chin – which was slack amid another deep breath.

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The rest of the round was back and forth, with both men taking a punch to land one, while a grappling-heavy round five sucked the atmosphere out of the stadium – a common feeling in Tottenham this season, courtesy of their Premier League travails. In round six, the most-interesting action was in the crowd, as a fight was broken up by security, though Fury did his best to put a dent in Makhmudov with hooks to the body.

The constant chatter in the stands was proof of a disinterested audience at this point, although two clean overhands from Makhmudov brought the fans to attention. Perhaps it was becoming clear, even this early, that Fury was not going to find a finish, despite trainer SugarHill Steward’s desperate pleas between rounds.

For as slow and one-dimensional as Makhmudov looked, Fury was off the pace as well. Two-dimensional, sure, with the occasional southpaw switch and the eventual, effective introduction of uppercuts, but not inventive enough to assert himself in the captivating manner of old – or not sprightly enough to act fully on his inventive impulses.

At one point in the ninth, Makhmudov was a sitting duck against the ropes, and rather than fire off shots at the Russian, Fury simply leaned on him. And while Fury’s uppercut started to serve him well in the later rounds, when he finally did look capable of a finish in the 11th, it appeared as much a result of Makhmudov’s tiredness as Fury’s power – or what’s left of it.

Of course, these faults in Fury could be down to ring rust. Yet they could be down to age and degradation.

The quirk is that this is okay, as long as he is paired with Joshua next. What Fury vs Joshua has always needed, as a match-up, is a sense of equality, or something close to it. Fury’s current form might just balance out with Joshua’s struggles in and out of the ring; as much as one feels guilty to factor “AJ”’s recent car crash into an evaluation of his chances in a super-fight, one also cannot ignore the grief of losing two of his teammates.

Joshua, 36, has had to reckon with the passings of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in recent months, while his last three results read as such: a stoppage of a YouTuber-turned-boxer, a devastating defeat, and a KO of a mixed martial artist. Meanwhile, Fury laboured to victory here, after twice being outdone by Usyk.

Go back further, in Fury’s case, and he was lucky to outpoint the same mixed martial artist that Joshua destroyed, after beating Derek Chisora in an uneven fight the year before. So, in pursuit of Fury’s last clear win, you have to venture back to 2022, and even then it was not an especially impressive result.

At least Fury’s boxing tools worked better than the microphone that was handed to Joshua, after Fury had formally called him out. But even when AJ was given a working mic and hinted that he would face Fury next, there was some room for doubt. It was telling that, when boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh beckoned Joshua’s promoter into the ring, Eddie Hearn would not budge.

Fury vs Joshua is not a done deal, but it must be made immediately, before both boxers are done. Deal?

Randers will entertain FC Copenhagen at Cepheus Park in the Danish Superliga on Sunday. Both teams are fighting to beat the drop and must finish in the top four of the relegation round to make it.

Randers vs FC Copenhagen Preview

Randers finished ninth in the regular season to qualify for the relegation round. Out of 22 matches, they won only seven, drew five times, and lost 10 matches, to end the regular season with 26 points. It was not an impressive campaign, but the hosts will be looking to conserve their place in the top flight.

Hestene had a better campaign last season, finishing fourth out of 12 teams and earning qualification to the championship round. However, they finished fourth on 48 points, 15 points shy of Copenhagen, who won the league. It has been rocky for the hosts, but they still have the chance to save their season.

FC Copenhagen are battling an underwhelming trend. More was expected from them than what they have shown so far this season, considering their impressive form last term. They finished seventh in the regular season, just below the qualification zone for the championship round.

Byens Hold are the most successful team in the league, having won the title a record 16 times, including their accolade last season. However, they will miss the opportunity to defend their title this time. Randers prevailed over FC Copenhagen 2-1 on the road in the sides’ last meeting.

Randers vs FC Copenhagen Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Randers have won once and lost four times in their last five matches against Copenhagen.
• Randers have won once and lost four times in their last five matches at home against Copenhagen.
• Randers have won thrice and lost twice in their last five matches at home in all competitions.
• FC Copenhagen have won once, drawn once, and lost thrice in their last five matches on the road.
• Randers have won twice, drawn once, and lost twice in their last five matches, while FC Copenhagen have won twice and lost thrice. Form Guide: Randers D-L-W-W-L, FC Copenhagen -W-L-L-W-L.

Randers vs FC Copenhagen Prediction

Randers will be fighting to avoid dropping to the bottom two spots, which is synonymous with relegation to the First Division.

FC Copenhagen are eying a ticket to a European competition. If they finish atop the table, they could qualify for the European play-off match.

FC Copenhagen are the favorites to win this match based on experience and individuality.

Prediction: Randers 1-2 FC Copenhagen

Randers vs FC Copenhagen Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result – FC Copenhagen to win

Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals – Yes

Tip 3: FC Copenhagen to score first – Yes

Tip 4: Randers to score – Yes