Tyson Fury marked his return to the heavyweight mix with a composed points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before immediately turning ringside to call out long-time rival Anthony Joshua.
The 37-year-old Briton - out of his latest retirement after 15 months away - was not at his sharpest and it was far from vintage Fury, but he had enough ring IQ and technical control to outbox Makhmudov across 12 largely one-sided rounds.
Fury had to be watchful at times as Makhmudov did land occasional overhand rights, but the Russian was largely one-dimensional as Fury took a wide decision with scorecards of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109.
But before the scores were read out, Fury crossed the ring to speak to Joshua, who was talking to him from the other side of the apron but refusing to get into the ring.
"I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept?" he said.
Joshua initially seemed reluctant to engage, before replying: "I punched you up when we were kids and I'll punch you up again. You aren't going to tell me what to do, I've been chasing you for 10 years.
"I'm the boss, you work for me. I'm the landlord. You work for me."
Fury responded: "You [Anthony Joshua] are next. You are getting knocked out. Believe it."
A bout that should have happened in both men's primes, it now lingers as boxing's great what-if - but it appears it may finally be made a reality.
In his first fight since successive defeats to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, Fury moves to 35 wins, two losses and one draw. For Makhmudov, 36, it was a third defeat in 24 fights.
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A poignant and emotional start to Fury's ring walk saw a tribute to boxing legend Ricky Hatton, with Blue Moon playing in his honour following his death in September.
The atmosphere in north London was then charged by the familiar Fury theatre - swagger, showmanship and singing - with fireworks erupting over the stadium as he danced to a medley before sprinting to the ring.
The bout was broadcast globally on Netflix to its 325 million subscribers, landing just hours before the release of At Home with the Furys season two.
Fury - who briefly retired after the Usyk losses - had not fought in Britain since December 2022, when he stopped Derek Chisora at this venue to retain the WBC title.
With 16 of his 19 knockouts inside three rounds, Makhmudov carried early danger on paper and landed an overhand right on Tyson Fury's ear in the opening round.
But Fury quickly found rhythm, picking apart Makhmudov's high guard and limited movement with counters, switching between southpaw and orthodox.
"He's tiring already. Take your time," Fury's trainer SugarHill Steward told him.
One pre-fight concern had been complacency - Fury has previously struggled with awkward underdogs - but despite Makhmudov connecting again with a looping right in the fourth, Fury's ring savviness, while a bit rusty, was proving too much.
Makhmudov's corner urged him to beat Fury to the jab, while Fury's team praised him for boxing "smart".
Despite pre-fight talk of sluggish ticket sales, the 62,000-capacity stadium looked close to full, though whether through strong sales or late complimentary distribution was unclear.
Fury upped the tempo in the latter rounds, varying his attack and threading in several uppercuts, but Makhmudov absorbed them without ever really being shaken.
Whether the power that once dropped Deontay Wilder multiple times has waned, or Makhmudov simply showed a stubborn chin under sustained pressure, Fury couldn't find the breakthrough.
Sensing that a stoppage was unlikely, sections of the crowd began drifting out before the final bell. Fury closed strongly, finishing the fight firmly on top.
After the long lay-off, his corner appeared content simply to bank the rounds and re-establish rhythm rather than chase the finish.
More to follow.
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