That it's against a man he excitedly took a picture with as a fan in November 2017 just makes the whole assignment even sweeter.

Two-time former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will end a 15-month layoff when headlining another stadium show, once more at Tottenham Hotspur, come April 11.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) has remained in the boxing space and surveyed the heavyweight landscape after another short-lived retirement, deciding Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) is a worthy adversary for his first outing since consecutive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

His manager Spencer Brown named Makhmudov among the top 'three or four options' for Fury's return last month but by then, the 36-year-old Russian puncher was patiently awaiting the announcement of his career-best chance.

It's not quite Anthony Joshua, as he made a conscious effort to call out before Christmas, but this version of Fury poses questions.

"AJ promised me a fight, told me to speak to his promoter ... they said they had other plans with Jake Paul," Makhmudov explained in a virtual media scrum, previewing his impending April 11 date.

News of Fury's latest return circulated in early December with a cryptic social media clue: "The king must return to his throne," he said before later confirming he'd be back this year.

On that development, Makhmudov put his hat in the ring straight away: "I said Camille [Estephan, his promoter], ask about me and maybe we can make this fight. Do they like the idea?

"They said yes, UK fans know me, that's how it happened slowly. I'm so happy, all my life I've prepared for this fight, met with him at Saunders-Lemieux and was a fan then but now I'm his opponent."

Headlining a stadium show at Tottenham Hotspur, many are skeptical about what they will see and there's a real sense of fatigue among hardcores around this version of Fury. Makhmudov, for all his fearsome physical gifts, has shown he's limited at world-level and a sharp Fury could outbox him at distance in ways Allen simply could not.

It won't be without trying. When it was put to him that he had a poster of Fury on his wall before turning professional in 2017, he insisted any admiration will go out of the window once they step in the ring.

"I'll go for war and to win, that's why I'm at more than 2,000-ft altitude in the Russian mountains. I have enough experience and skill, which is why I need to fight the best," he added.

Fury, a year older than Makhmudov, will be mentally refreshed having taken a year out of the sport in his mid-30s.

Yet time off will not have helped heal irreparable physical scars, especially given his Deontay Wilder trilogy and a trio of progressively intense bouts leading up to his flat, uninspired showing in the second Usyk meeting.

Makhmudov isn't resting on his laurels, nor should he seeing how volatile the divisional landscape has proven in recent years.

"I don't know how but I will try to beat [this version of Fury], we'll see what works and I'll keep doing that," he said. "Try to catch him and I will do everything to beat him. One punch can change everything in heavyweight boxing."