Author: Sean Crose

Many people were undoubtedly shocked when Arslanbek Makhmudov literally lifted Tyson Fury into the air while both men argued at a press conference on Thursday. Fury laughed it off, but it only confirmed that Makhmudov was not intimidated. Intimidation is something Fury is quite good at. Take a look at his aggressive behavior before his 2015 heavyweight championship fight against then-defending champion Wladimir Klitschko. Fury didn’t just get into his man’s head… maybe that’s why he won the title. There’s no denying that Klitschko didn’t look like himself that night.

Makhmudov, on the other hand, seems to be a different kind of animal. He’s clearly the underdog heading into this weekend’s fight with Fury at London’s O2 Arena, but it’s doubtful the 6-foot-6 Russian will bow under the balmy lights. After all, he had faced earnest challenges before. The 21-2 fighter literally fought a bear. If you don’t believe it, watch it on YouTube. In the clips, this guy is pure Davey Crockett. No wonder he’s not afraid of Fury. “I’m that kind of guy,” Makhmudov said. “Since I was a kid, I was a very little kid and if I had a phobia, I took it as a challenge.”

He faces quite a challenge in Fury. This player’s only defeats came on the hands of the legendary Oleksandr Usyk. Moreover, Fury has 34 wins and a draw (in the first fight with Wilder). Moreover, Fury has different aspects to his skill set. In the match against Klitschko, this man was surprisingly slippery to hit. In Wilder’s second fight, which Fury won by stoppage, the guy became a destructive and aggressive force. Unlike the bear, Fury can adapt to what is happening in the ring.

Makhmudov may not be able to reach into his bag of tricks and pull out a up-to-date style, but he has ponderous hands and a perilous, outgoing style that can wear down a guy like Fury. If durability becomes an issue for Fury at the age of 37, he could find himself in earnest trouble. Still, it’s strenuous to see Makhmudov as having a great performance on Saturday – although he’ll certainly have his moments. He has ponderous feet and his punches, while powerful, are not delivered at a lightning-fast pace. Fury has faced ponderous punches before, perhaps with the hardest punch in the history of the sport (I have yet to find a fighter who punches or punches as strenuous as Wilder).

However, Makhmudov is undoubtedly aware that time waits for no one. I still remember Fury throwing his youth in Klitschko’s face many years ago. Now he is an older man. He may only be 37 years senior and Makhmudov is 36, but he has had a grueling life at times, both in and out of the ring. Add to that the time spent away from the ring and it is possible that Makhmudov will be able to perform this weekend. It may not be likely, but it would be ridiculous to say it is impossible.

Indeed, Makhmudov believes Fury underestimated him ahead of Saturday’s fight. “For him it’s a warm-up fight,” he said, “but for me it’s everything. I can’t lose my chance.” Tough talk from a tough guy… but fight fans have heard it before. Apart from that, Fury declares that he is focused on the task at hand. “I don’t want to mention names when I have a perilous fighter in front of me,” he quotes the powerful Briton as saying. “The rest can hide, but first I have to keep Makhmudov hidden.” So it all comes down to how well each fighter can perform in the ring in less than 48 hours.

Back to the fight with the bear: Makhmudov explains that the experience was not fun. “You can only understand its power when you are close to it,” he said. “In one second you can become like meat, just meat, just like that.” In a way, you can almost imagine Makhmudov speaking the same way about certain fighters, especially those who roar like Tyson Fury. One thing is certain, however: Makhmudova will not be paralyzed by fear when the opening bell rings in London on Saturday evening.