In December 2017, Tyson Fury arrived in Quebec, Canada, depleted and despairing but stubbornly pushing himself back into the public eye. A lengthy legal battle with UKAD for testing positive for nandrolone had finally been concluded, but Fury had emerged from his backdated ban with a mind awash with suicidal thoughts and a body deteriorating by the day. Away from the spotlight for so long, he took his seat at ringside for Billy Joe Saunders’ fight with David Lemieux when he received a tap on the shoulder from an eager young fan. As he rose to oblige the request for a photo, Fury came face-to-face with a mountain of a man, a giant on his day off from work at the local gas station and who he now faces in the ring this Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“It's a dream come true,” Arslanbek Makhmudov tells Boxing Scene. “Unbelievable. First of all, I’m very excited. I just can’t imagine. Ten years ago, I wasn't even a pro boxer at this time [of meeting Fury]. And now, 10 years later, to be in this place, I’m very happy because this is a dream fight for me. He’s a very good boxer, very big ring IQ but, of course, we will have to adapt for these conditions to do the right job, to be better, and to beat him, inshallah.”
Makhmudov entered the consciousness of British boxing public after a 12th-round stoppage of Dave Allen in October last year. It was a win, too, that did much to bolster the Russian’s belief in his ability to remain dangerous right up to the final bell, something he knows he may need when he encounters Fury, a veteran with many years of championship-level experience.
“It gives me a lot of confidence, because I never fight before like that. Hard rounds, I never fight 12 rounds, but because I have now, it's good to have experience. Experience is always good. It's always helping you, and it's everything for me. So now I have this experience and I have experienced fighting in the UK.”
That experience of fighting in the UK was something Makhmudov says he will never forget. Facing a partisan crowd on his way into the ring in Sheffield that night, the passion of the fans had convinced him that competing once again on British soil would remain a uniquely thrilling challenge.
“It was amazing. Amazing because UK fans are special,” the 36-year-old says. “Their voices, the crowd, was crazy. Before fight, everyone, everyone, was against me. I said, ‘Listen, guys, you’re against me now but after the fight you're gonna love me!’ And this happened. I’ve seen a lot of messages from UK fans, warm messages. And now, the same thing. Exactly the same way. I know a lot of people are gonna be against me, but I say, ‘after the fight you're gonna love me, guys! You're gonna love me, inshallah.’”
The bookmakers don’t agree, with Makhmudov a sizeable underdog. Despite endless claims of retirement and back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury – just by being active again – is on the cusp of more huge paydays, and it’s the Russian who’s been handpicked to spark this latest comeback. It’s a scenario that has allowed Makhmudov to train with a degree of freedom, unburdened by the weight of expectation.
“Absolutely no problem. Underdog or people against me. For me, it's normal. That's why, if you want everything to be perfect to be remembered, it's no way to be the best. It’s no way to be a world champion. That's why we need to feel, to put us in this uncomfortable situation, to be the best, to be strong. The size, it's what I want. It's what we need to challenge,” he says.
“Absolutely no pressure because last time I showed my experience when I was fighting in the UK. It was less people but it was big. Ten thousand [in attendance]. It was full. And when I was going in the ring I heard people making noise. You know, everyone was against me but I said to myself, ‘Listen, there's ten thousand against you but with me, God. God is with me. What can they do to me? What? Nothing.’ And they did nothing to me because God was with me. I win. Same thing now. I go with my God, I go for the win, and nobody can do nothing to me. That's why I'm very comfortable for this moment. No problem.”
Makhmudov had entered into professional boxing as a prospect with plenty of promise, most notably due to his raw power (19 of his 21 wins thus far have come by way of KO). Each step up in class, however, has ended in disappointment, with defeats to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello hampering his momentum. Reflecting back on these experiences, Makhmudov is candid about his shortcomings but grateful for what these losses have taught him.
“This was very good for me, because I understand I have to be more professional. I have to be more serious in my career, in my preparation, in my everything. So, more details, because I can miss a lot of details. Don't take it serious but I understand now in this kind of level, more details, every details, the stuff that I study, I have to be more professional, more serious for preparation. Everything. Discipline. It's training, work on yourself, every aspect. Small details can change the game. That's why you take everything serious.”
For the duration of his career, Makhmudov has trained under the tutelage of highly respected Canadian trainer, Marc Ramsey. Encouraged to make the move by his stablemate and fellow countryman, Artur Beterbiev, the relationship between fighter and trainer has flourished over the years. In reflecting back on their time together, Makhmudov is keen to acknowledge how much Ramsey has done for him both in and out of the ring, taking a hungry young prospect who spoke no English and guiding him to become the best version of himself.
“We have a good relationship, like coach and boxer, but I think it’s a bit more because we can speak about family and life stuff. We have a good human relationship, not just like a coach and boxer, more human. For me, it's number one, to be a good human, to be good professionals. Not just with my trainer, with everyone. A long time ago, in a Muay Thai gym, I went there one time. They say, ‘You can be champion, but you have to be a good human.’ This is the real win, when you’re a good person, when you give a good example, this a real win. Of course, we try in competition, make good wins as well but, first of all, it’s personal wins.”
