Since then, the Russian puncher has racked up 23 outings in the paid ranks while Fury added another two retirements to the list.

On Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 37-year-old Fury will end his most recent one by taking on the fearsome 6-foot-6 Dagestani in The Ring’s main event live on Netflix.

Makhmudov has been overlooked by almost everyone, from the bookmakers who have priced him out at 9/2 or the many people already suggesting that Fury against Anthony Joshua is a done deal for later this year.

But one man who is adamant he has not overlooked Makhmudov, who has a KO percentage in the 90s, is Fury himself. With five retirements already under his belt, the self-styled Gypsy King says defeat on Saturday will hit him for six, and there will be no coming back from that.

“There’s no long-term plan for me,” Fury says, when asked how Makhmudov fits into his 2026 programme. “There’s just one fight and that’s it.

“Never mind anybody else, there’s one fight with this fella, and it's do or die. Because if he beats me, then it's curtains, isn't it? There's no other fights after that. I’m done.”

Boxing, whether that be fans, fighters, promoters or matchmakers, has a habit of looking too far ahead and this generation of heavyweights might be the worst culprits of all time. Joshua against Deontay Wilder has been within touching distance multiple times only for one of them to get beaten before contracts were ever drawn up. Fury and Joshua has been much the same.

There is a very real possibility that particular Battle of Britain will finally take place this year, despite Fury’s retirement and the personal tragedy which Joshua has endured, but nothing is agreed yet. Defeat to Makhmudov would stretch Fury’s losing streak to three, following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, and Fury-Joshua would disappear forever.

“Makhmudov has had 23 professional fights and he’s won nearly all of them by knockout,” Fury says. “He’s very dangerous and I’ve never looked past someone like this.

“I needed a dangerous man. If I had picked a pushover, I probably wouldn’t have trained and come in weighing 24 stone.  But because I know he's a dangerous hombre, I’ve dedicated myself really well and come in in great form, ready to rock and roll.

“You should take him 100 per cent seriously and put some respect on his name because he’s a dangerous knockout artist.”

Fury insists he has meant all five of his retirements so far. Although many suggested his most recent hiatus was merely an attention seeking stunt, the man himself and those around him truly believed that he was done and dusted. 

Promoter Frank Warren and Fury’s own father John have both said they hoped he would stay retired. They said that at 37 years old and 37 fights down, with every major title in the cabinet and millions upon millions in the bank, there really is no need for this man to be fighting for money. He agrees.

“I don't need to be here,” Fury shrugs. “I don't need to be getting punched in the face.

“The truth is, I love it. I'm only here for the love of the game and the banter that comes with it.”

Now he’s fighting to keep that alive beyond this weekend.