Anthony Joshua has been incline by British heavyweight Dave Allen to defeat Russian fighter Arslanbek Makhmudov when both boxers meet in 2026, though he warned the former two-time unified champion faces a dangerous opening few rounds
Allen, who went the distance with Makhmudov in Sheffield over the weekend, losing on all three judges’ cards, believes Joshua will deal with the towering Russian despite the early threat he poses.
“He’s not as good as he was, still better than me, but not as good as he was. He can punch, though, he can punch. It’ll be a dangerous one or two rounds for Joshua, but Makhmudov is on the downhill slope himself. I think Joshua deals with him, it will be a dangerous fight though,” Allen told The Stomping Ground.
Makhmudov, who fights out of Montreal, walked Allen down for 12 rounds this past weekend, landing plenty of heavy shots whilst taking a barrage of body and head shots of his own, though he didn’t get the knockout many predicted.
The 6ft 5in Russian ran out a wide points winner and called out Joshua afterwards, declaring “I’m coming for you.”
Joshua had earlier agreed to fight Makhmudov in 2026, with the Russian claiming the former two-time world champion accepted the challenge during an Instagram exchange.
“Yeah, we just spoke a little bit on Instagram. Just friendly, you know. And I offered him as a next fight, he said, ‘Okay, next year then. Next year we can do it,’” Makhmudov said during an interview with Boxing News.
“For me, the fight is interesting because it’s a good opportunity. And in sport, because we had a bit of a story in the amateurs. He lost to guys in the European championship and the world championship — I beat these two guys. For me, it’s interesting.”
Joshua is being lined up for a comeback fight in Nigeria early next year following his loss to Daniel Dubois in a world heavyweight title bout at Wembley Stadium in September last year.
The last time Joshua boxed was more than 12 months ago, when he was knocked out in devastating fashion by Dubois as he attempted to wrestle the IBF belt off his fellow Brit.
Makhmudov has lost only twice, both times by knockout, first to Agit Kabayel in December 2023, and then to Guido Vianello in August 2024.
Allen’s assessment suggests that whilst Makhmudov presents a genuine threat in the early rounds with his punching power, Joshua’s superior skills and experience should see him through once he navigates the initial danger.
The former champion continues to find himself linked to various opponents, with Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole among those expressing interest in facing him.
Bakole, a former sparring partner of Joshua, has volunteered to face the British-Nigerian boxer in what he described as ‘the Rumble in the Jungle II.’
“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole told Sky Sports.
“Anthony Joshua doesn’t want to fight me. He knows what happened in sparring. If we get in the ring, I’m going to knock him out, without doubt.”
Promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu, who recently staged the successful Chaos in the Ring event in Lagos in association with Amir Khan, confirmed that Bakole is among several options being considered for Joshua’s return.
Targeting an early 2026 return to the ring in a historic trip to Africa, Joshua was first tied to a showdown in Ghana; however, in recent days, an event featuring the former world champion closer to his roots in Nigeria has been floated.
Allen has vowed to fight on despite his loss to Makhmudov, whilst the Russian continues to position himself as a legitimate threat in the heavyweight division.
