Listening back to a recording of this interview, transcribing Arslanbek Makhmudov’s words at times resembled an act of deciphering. That’s not meant as a slight on his English; the Russian is certainly a capable speaker in his non-native tongue, but there are moments of broken language that add to the mystique around him.
It’s a mystique that was crafted across six years of professional boxing, in which the heavyweight went 18-0 with 17 knockouts (12 in the first round), and that was more recently enhanced when Makhmudov wrestled a bear. Dagestan things, you see.
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That mystique, combined with the aesthetic intimidation of this 6ft 6in athlete, was no doubt crucial in the selection of Makhmudov as Tyson Fury’s next opponent.
Arslanbek Makhmudov making his ring walk to fight Dave Allen in October (Getty)
On Saturday, Fury will end his fifth retirement when he boxes Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Briton will be a strong favourite, and that is understandable. Makhmudov’s destructive run was halted by Agit Kabayel in 2023, with Guido Vianello soon handing the Russian another loss. Furthermore, Makhmudov’s most-recent outing was a victory, yes, but a points win over Dave Allen – the lovable rogue of the British heavyweight scene.
Fury once held that incorporeal title, but the 37-year-old has divided the fanbase in recent times, and his numerous retirements are partly to blame. In fact, there are genuine questions about how much interest there really is in his latest comeback. So, pair him with a scary-looking Russian, who looks like he might take Fury’s head off, and you increase your chances of getting people to buy in.
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But does Makhmudov think he’s scary? “No, I don’t think so, but everyone says it,” the 36-year-old tells The Independent and other publications. “I don’t know, I find myself a kind guy. Time to be scary, maybe I’m scary, but time to be kind guy, I’m kind guy.”
Saturday is a time to be scary, and Makhmudov has a strong relationship with fear, as exhibited by that recent wrestling match with a bear. “It’s an experience to beat your phobia,” he explains. “Since I was a very small kid, if I had some phobia, I take it as a challenge.”
When the episode is first mentioned, Makhmudov hears “bear” as “beer”, but a few growls from the journalists in the room help to clarify. “This wasn’t fun to be honest, it’s very terrible,” he says (of the bear wrestling, not the bear impressions). “When we came, it was near to Moscow, to forest. Fifty metres from this bear, we started making noises. It was so scary. I think to myself, ‘How can you wrestle this thing?’”
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Again, though, Makhmudov has always tended to tackle his phobias. “We have in Russia like 220 volts; if you touch it, you die. My mama told me ‘don’t touch’. What did I do? I went and touched.” It’s a strange mixture of exposure therapy and shock therapy, I suppose – and I couldn’t endorse it.
Tyson Fury will be a heavy favourite against Makhmudov (PA Wire)
But while Makhmudov didn’t heed his mother’s advice back then, everything he does now is for her and his father, plus his own wife and their two children.
“Parents, in my life, are in top place,” he says, before correcting himself: “You have God first, of course; after God, it’s parents. My goal is to make them happy, because I know they had a not-easy life, they did a lot of things for us. For my kids, my wife. My biggest happiness is to see my close people happy.”
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Makhmudov learned unique lessons from his father, a strong man himself. “Yes, but not like me,” he says. “No, [not a fighter] but papa was very strong. When I was a kid, his friends made a challenge. He put a glass bottle [on a table], and he said: ‘I’m gonna crush it with my hand.’ I said: ‘No, impossible.’ I saw it myself. He told me: ‘It’s technique.’ Yes, [it cut his hand]. He did it as a bet with friends. I saw it once, but he said he’d done it before.”
Mr Makhmudov will not be allowed to bet on his son this weekend, as the Canadian-based heavyweight takes on Fury, who was somewhat of an inspiration to Arslanbek as well.
Arslanbek Makhmudov established himself with British fans by taking on Allen in Sheffield (Getty Images)
Makhmudov even had a poster of the “Gypsy King” on the wall. The photo? “Ten years ago, it was in Canada, he came to support [Billy Joe] Saunders against David Lemieux,” Makhmudov recalls.
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He admits that, back then, he could not have dreamed of being paired with Fury one day. “Only God knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, in 1,000 years, everything.” But, he says: “God gave gave me the signal, I imagine it like a signal.”
Makhmudov, who was linked to a possible fight with Anthony Joshua before the latter’s car crash in November, also insists: “No, it’s not a big mistake [to pair Fury with him]. “He’s in the right place, I’m in the right place, but I come here to win for sure.
“That’s my mission. My mission started from this poster. This photo was not for nothing; this was the mission.”
Fury vs Makhmudov will stream live exclusively on Netflix on Saturday 11 April.
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