Matchroom CEO Frank Smith ruled out a fight between Anthony Joshua and Arslanbek Makhmudov happening following the big Russian’s beatdown of Dave Allen last Saturday night in Sheffield, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
“AJ Is on His Own Path” — What That Means
Smith said Tyson Fury is one of the names that is being talked about for Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to fight in 2026. Although he didn’t mention Jake Paul, he’s clearly the other one. That fight might even be bigger than a Joshua vs. Fury fight, because Jake has a far bigger following on social media than the aging 37-year-old Fury.
What Frank isn’t saying is that Makmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) is too dangerous for Joshua. Some of the shots that the big 6’5 1/2″ Russian hit Allen with would have caused AJ a lot of trouble.
Makhmudov was still throwing with massive power in the 11th and 12th rounds in his twelve-round unanimous decision win over ‘The White Rhino’ Allen last Saturday night. The perception going into the fight was that Arslanbek would tire in the later rounds, lose power, and become vulnerable.
AJ’s Punch Resistance Question
That didn’t happen to a great extent. He was still hitting just as hard in round 12 as he had in the first three rounds. If Joshua gets hit with the kinds of shots that Allen did, it would be bad for him. That would be AJ’s second consecutive knockout, and it would mess up the money fights against Jake Paul and Fury.
“Everyone wants to fight AJ. We’ll be working with, obviously, Arslanbek, moving forward on fights, but everyone wants to fight AJ,” said Matchroom CEO Frank Smith to Boxing King Media, reacting to being told that Arslanbek Makhmudov said he wants to fight Anthony Joshua next, following his win over Dave Allen last Saturday night.
Why Matchroom Won’t Risk Joshua Now
It’s understandable why Smith wouldn’t want Joshua to get anywhere near a fighter like Makhmudov. He’s too powerful and all wrong for him. At this stage of AJ’s career, with his punch resistance looking gone, he’s better off fighting slappers like Fury or Otto Wallin. Jake is fine because he’s so much smaller, and the giant purse Joshua gets would help cushion the blow of him potentially losing.
Fury 2026: Still the Big One for Matchroom
“Of course, they do. Everyone looks at it as their huge opportunity, but AJ is also on his own path as to what he wants to do. The [Tyson] Fury fight is a fight that has been spoken about a lot in 2026. Let’s see how things play out,” said Smith.
There it is, Smith saying Makhmudov isn’t in Joshua’s plans. He didn’t state who, besides Jake Paul, he’ll match against Joshua if they fail to get the Fury fight. ‘The Gypsy King’ is rich beyond belief, with a massive fortune estimated at $160 million. He may not want to come out of his stately manor in Morecambe to return to the hard life of being a boxer, going to war with a hard puncher like Joshua.
If Tyson had some punching power like Makhmudov, I could see him returning to the ring. But he can’t punch, and he would be forced to go 12 rounds to defeat Joshua. That’s hard work for anyone, especially a chubby fighter carrying around 20+ pounds of excess weight around his midsection.
Bakole Mentioned — But No Payday Like Joshua
“He can get the big fights,” said Smith when asked what Makhmudov can do now. “He’s now in that position with a win in an atmosphere in a night like that in a performance like that. He can fight Bakole,” said Smith about an option for Arslanbek.
Somehow, I don’t see Makhmudov being excited about fighting Martin Bakole as a replacement option for getting the mega-million payday fighting Joshua. The money he would get fighting Bakole wouldn’t be anywhere near what he would receive facing AJ.
Since 2015, Olly Campbell has brought readers a clear ringside perspective and a steady voice on boxing’s biggest nights.
Last Updated on 10/12/2025
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