Arslanbek Makhmudov will make his walk toward the ring for the biggest fight of his life Saturday when he takes on returning former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Netflix.
He does so like many of Fury’s opponents — with two fists, a mouthguard and a battle plan — but also armed with Khabib Nurmagomedov-esque lore, having wrestled bears in his homeland.
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Makhmudov is a product of the same Russian amateur system that spawned former world champions Alexander Povetkin and Sergey Kovalev. He’s 6-foot-6, weighs around 260 pounds, and though Fury would likely have handled him in his prime, Makhmudov has enough skill and experience to step up and cause problems if the Brit has slid from the peak of his powers as much as Fury said former opponents Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora had after watching them brawl last week.
“I’ve never seen two men slide as much as them two in my life,” Fury, 37, told Inside The Ring earlier this week. “And I’m thinking, ‘Am I f****** next? Is this me?’”
Fury hasn’t boxed since 2024 (two losses to Oleksandr Usyk) and hasn’t won a fight since 2023 — a split decision win over Francis Ngannou in which he had to climb off the canvas just to salvage a controversial decision. His last clean win was in 2022 — to Chisora, someone he’d already beaten twice prior.
Makhmudov, 36, scored 14 consecutive knockouts to begin his pro career and brings 21 wins (19 KOs total) into the bout, along with two losses — both by knockout — to Agit Kabayel in 2023 and Guido Vianello the following year. He is gettable. But he can get you, too.
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The bear
For Makhmudov, boxing a 6-foot-8 opponent like Fury is likely nothing considering he’s happy to grapple with a bear just because a friend dared him to.
In viral footage from February, Makhmudov can be seen dancing from side to side as a black bear goes from all fours, to upright, towering over the heavyweight boxer when it does so. Makhmudov fences with a jab to keep it at arm’s length, and the apex predator opens its terrifying jaw when the fighter’s fingers are on its nose. Makhmudov toys with it like it’s a dog, before taking its neck and going for side control before the clip ends.
When he told his mother about the idea, she told him, “OK, you go.” And so he did.
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His uncle was one of the first to message him when he found the footage. He lambasted his nephew, saying he’s a professional athlete and should know better. But Makhmudov had his excuse ready: His mother said it was OK.
“We laughed,” he told Boxing Social, “and she told me that she misunderstood. She certainly doesn’t do that anymore.”
From Russia with glove
Makhmudov wasn’t always a giant, but he was always a fighter.
When he first stepped foot in a boxing club, he was a normal height for a 9-year-old. His family wanted discipline for him, as he was developing a reputation as a street fighter — something, he said, is typical for scrappy, Dagestani kids. Once he hit 14 years old, his growth took off and boxing — and winning — became second nature.
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Born in Mozdok, North Ossetia, Makhmudov grew up in post-Soviet chaos, describing no government that worked. There was economic frailty in the family with his father working for a year with no salary. He specifically remembered the Chechen war when speaking to The Guardian, looking back at his time in Russia, with “people taken to the cemetery.”
Makhmudov is now based in Canada and part of the rapidly rising Eye of the Tiger Management company — the same roster that houses other surging boxers like WBC interim super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli, WBA interim light heavyweight champ Albert Ramirez and middleweight contender Osleys Iglesias.
Eye of the Tiger, run by Camille Estephan, has been making significant movements in the sport, and the maneuvering of Makhmudov is evidence of that. In his past five fights he’s 3-2 (2 KOs), but is, regardless, making a name for himself in Britain. He rebounded from his last loss with a first-round finish of Ricardo Brown in Quebec City, Canada, before scoring a big win in October over UK fan-favorite Dave Allen in England.
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Makhmudov is a pressure-heavy fighter who comes forward with a stiff jab just to impose himself rather than do anything flashy. When in range, he’s blunt and physical. He throws short hooks. He has heavy hands, and he wears opponents down rather than out-thinking them.
It’s an approach that worked in 2022 against Mariusz Wach, who survived early pressure but was eventually worn into submission. Allen saw much of what was coming last year, but still had to take it over 10 rounds, even if Makhmudov was criticized for looking one-paced and predictable.
On Saturday, Makhmudov makes his walk in front of a possible 60,000-strong crowd and fights one of the more unpredictable fighters of the modern era. Someone who bamboozled long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko, went toe-to-toe with all-time great puncher Deontay Wilder but got dropped by a debuting Ngannou.
If Fury took one lesson from the Ngannou humiliation, it’s to never take an opponent lightly. But if he does again, Makhmudov may be the man to taunt Fury the way he once did a bear.