Arslanbek Makhmudov is set for a must-win fight against Guido Vianello

THIS time last year Arslanbek Makhmudov was seen by some as a dark horse in the heavyweight division. With fearsome punching power and a fearsome presence to match, the Russian was not someone you would want to clash with in the dark let alone the boxing ring. Despite a ten-round victory over Carlos Takam in 2022, ‘The Lion’ looked like a formidable force, especially in the opening rounds where nearly all of his knockouts came.

When Makhmudov and Agit Kabayel signed to fight on the Day of Reckoning card last December, few gave Kabayel a chance. The lion was expected to harass his opponent and take his place in a cruel, emotionless manner. Instead, the bout was reminiscent of a bull and a matador as Kabayel made Makhmudov miss and made him pay.

During this week’s fight, Makhmudov reiterated how he broke his right hand in the second round against Kabayel. The 35-year-old suspect suffered two fractures. However, it’s hard to figure out how much of a difference this would have made for Kabayel who avoided a big right hand most of the time.

Three strikes in the fourth round from a body shot showed a human side to Makhmudov who was spared another punishment by the referee. Sergio Mora on the DAZN analyst team summed it up well, “I don’t care how big and strong and scary and scary you are, body shots make us all cowards.”

And tomorrow night we will find out if Makhmudov still has the guts to win against Guido Vianello. Vianello looked promising early in his career, however two losses and a draw on his record doesn’t look good, especially compared to Kingsley Ibeh and Jonathan Rice. However, to Vianello’s credit, a split decision loss to Efe Ajagba in April boosted his stock and restored his energy.

With ten of his 12 wins coming by way of knockout, Vianello is, at least on paper, a much tougher opponent than Makhmudov’s latest victim, Miljan Rovcanin. In the animal kingdom, Rovcanin was like Makhmudov’s lamb. It was an easy second round match for the Russian to regain his confidence and regain his killer instinct.

Your 0 or undefeated record is always a big selling point in professional boxing, and if it happens, you may never be the same fighter again. Thanks to Turki Alalshikh, the best boxers challenge each other, so the myth of the invincible fighter is gradually eroded until the last matches instead of perfect records will count.

As mentioned, Vianello’s track record has become a perfectionist’s nightmare. However, the Italian has lost less than Makhmudov, who enters the tournament as the favorite. One has to assume that Vianello will target Makhmudov’s body and Makhmudov should ensure that his opponent has been stopped before.

Based on the undercard of Christian Mbilli vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Makhmudov-Vianello is a match where no man can afford to lose. At 35, Makhmudov isn’t old at heavyweight, but another loss would drop him down Bob Arum’s priority list.

As for Vianello, ‘The Gladiator’ needs a big win if he wants to be considered a serious heavyweight contender. The Roma man is only 30 years old, although if the losses keep piling up on his resume, he could end up going down the gatekeeper or high-flyer route. A former competitor at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Vianello was highly regarded but has yet to reach his full potential.

However, the beauty of these must-win battles lies in the profitable opportunities afterward. As his popularity continues to increase his involvement in boxing and his love for heavyweights never dies, the winner of Makhudov-Vianello could find himself in another big fight at the end of the year or early 2025.

A game of snakes and ladders. Both men have fallen in the rankings in recent years. But one emphatic performance can change everything. There has arguably never been a better time to be a heavyweight with bags of stars on the line. And, with the top three Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury nearing the end of their careers, world titles will eventually be spread out and up for grabs.