By Brian Webber: Heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) says he’s hoping to get a title shot next year, and he’s interested in fighting Tyson Fury due to some stuff he said about him.
Last Saturday night, Makhmudov put in one of the best performances on the Fury vs. Francis Ngannou undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, destroying Junior Anthony Wright in the first round in a card that was littered with mismatches.
At this point in Makhmudov’s six-year professional career, he needs to be matched against better opposition to make a name for himself and continue to get moved up the rankings.
However, with the size & punching power of the 6’5″ Makhmudov, his promoters are likely having problems getting opponents willing to face him.
It’s important that Top Rank use its promotional muscle to get a title shot for the 34-year-old Makhmudov before he ages out. The fight that Top Rank has the ability to make would be Makhmudov vs. Jared Anderson, but they’re probably not going to do that because they’re trying to turn the 23-old into a star.
Makhmudov would wreck Anderson, and Top Rank would have nothing to show for the money they’ve put into the Ohio native’s career. Yes, boxing is a business, so Makhmudov won’t get that chance to use Jared as a stepping stone.
Arslanbek Makhmudov’s recent wins
Junior Anthony Wright
Raphael Akpejiori
Michael Wallisch
Carlos Takam
Mariusz Wach
Erkan Teper
Pavel Sour
Those guys wouldn’t be bad opponents if Makhmudov was in his early 20s, but he’s 34, and he’s too old to be fighting this level of opposition. He’s a year older than Anthony Joshua, so he can’t afford to spend too much more time spinning his wheels on second-tier opposition.
If Top Rank can’t get Makhmudov a title shot against Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, then they should direct him towards WBA secondary belt holder Mahmoud Charr. That guy is an easy mark, and it would be another quick job for Makhmudov like we saw last Saturday night with his first round slaughter of Wright.
The good news is he’s a huge puncher, and his power will stay with him, even if he’s frozen out for the next three to four years by the top dogs, Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and whoever might get their hands on the belts.
Makhmudov ranked #3 with WBC, but he’s not likely to get a title shot against Fury next year because he’s going to be busy fighting Oleksandr Usyk and perhaps a rematch with Ngannou.
With the few fights that Fury has left in his career, he probably won’t bother fighting Makhmudov because he’s focusing on maximizing the money he can make fighting guys that the fans know about.
Fury’s opponent last Saturday, Francis Ngannou, was an example of that. That guy is popular with MMA fans, and Fury got a lot of dough from the Saudis to fight him.
“It’s a big step. All the world saw me. It’s a big step to get me close to my goal of world champion world title,” said heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov to Boxing King Media about his fight against Junior Anthony Wright last Saturday night on the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“When you’re at this top level, it’s complicated to say that ‘I’m going to be fighting in the next fight.’ We do best, but next year, I expect to fight for, maybe the end of next year, I don’t know, I will fight for a title,” said Makhmudov.
“Honestly, I like Tyson Fury because he started talking s**t about me. What’s his name? You don’t have to say that. If he’s a man, let him tell me to my face then. He will see what I do. It’s my personal stuff. You cannot touch that.
“Arslan means Lion, and the lion comes for you. He will eat you one day. You can’t make a joke about your name or country. It’s untouchable stuff. About boxing, you can say, ‘I’ll destroy.’ It’s your opinion, but not the personal stuff,” said Makhmudov.
