SHEFFIELD, England – Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith has denied rumors that Arslanbek Makhmudov will land a fight with Anthony Joshua should he defeat Dave Allen on Saturday night.
Makhmudov and Allen will collide in a game of snakes and ladders at Utilita Arena in Sheffield, UK. The winner moves up to face one of the division’s leading names, whilst the loser falls to the bottom of the pile, with little chance of returning to the big time.
Ahead of Saturday’s fight, Allen has claimed to multiple outlets that should Makhmudov be victorious, then the Russian would face Joshua in his comeback fight early next year.
“Yes, we spoke on Instagram and he gave me words like next year we're going to fight,” Makhmudov told BoxingScene of the rumors.
Matchroom’s Smith, who works alongside Eddie Hearn to promote Joshua, revealed that there is nothing in place for Makhmudov to be Joshua’s next opponent, regardless of the result on Saturday.
“I think, in Makhmudov's head, he might land a fight with Anthony Joshua,” Smith told BoxingScene. “Look, AJ, we all know he's working through what's next – there's so many big fights. AJ is the commercial kingpin of the heavyweight division. I know Makhmudov was pestering AJ for a fight on social media and in the DMs, but I think [Makhmudov and Allen] have got to focus on Saturday night.
“I don't think [Makhmudov] is in the list right now [to face Joshua], I'll be honest with you. But there's also so many different routes AJ can go down. As we all know, the Tyson Fury fight is the fight that there is a lot of talk about. You know, there's been talk about a Jake Paul fight as well, which is a complete other end of the spectrum. So let's see how things play out. But AJ is in his own world of, he can do what he wants, he can go in any fight he wants to do. But this is a big fight, as I say, for the winner to come out of this and be involved in big-name fights beyond.”
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a masters degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
