Arslanbek Makhmudov waiting for Anthony Joshua's 'answer' about fight after exchanging social media messages

22.10.2025, 09:11 skysports.com

Arslanbek Makhmudov is waiting for Anthony Joshua's 'answer' after claiming the British heavyweight star promised him a fight.

Before Makhmudov's dominant points win over David Allen, the Canada-based contender revealed a screenshot of a social media exchange with Joshua, who appeared to welcome a fight next year.

Joshua has been absent from the ring since a shock knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, but is considering options for a comeback fight.

"I'm ready, I did the work, I came to the UK, I won against Allen," Makhmudov told Sky Sports.

"But by the way, I spoke with AJ before the fight. He gave me a promise, if I win this fight with Allen he is going to fight with me next.

"That's why I am just waiting for the response from AJ. Joshua, hey, when we fight, I wait for you and I'm ready for you.

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"Everything is perfect, UK fans know me, I showed my good performance in the last fight. Now it's just to answer the question, when can I fight AJ?"

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Makhmudov was quick to point out that he holds amateur wins over Mahammadrasul Majidov and Mihai Nistor, who defeated Joshua in the unpaid ranks.

Joshua went on to become an Olympic gold medallist and launched a hugely successful professional career, becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion before Oleksandr Usyk ended his second reign.

"It's a perfect fight for him, it's a perfect fight for me," said Makhmudov, who has rebuilt of losses to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello.

"We have a good story in amateur, he lost to two guys in the European Championship and the World Championship, I beat these two guys.

"We have a similar story, and it's interesting for the fans, it's interesting for myself. We have the same age, we have the same height, we have the same weight.

"We [both] have a couple of recent losses. That's why it's perfect to fight right now."

Makhmudov described Allen as 'real iron' after the Brit resisted a punishing barrage, but he is eager to see whether Joshua could withstand his best punches.

"That's why we have to fight, to see this," said Makhmudov, who has 19 knockouts in 21 wins.

"That's why we have to fight, to check all this stuff, you know. That's why we have to check who is better, like a boxer, who is better, like a puncher, who is better, like he can take a punch, you know. Everything."