Matchroom CEO Frank Smith excluded a fight between Anthony Joshua and Arslanbek Makhmudov after the great Russian addiction 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 Joshua (28-4, 25 COs) is talked about in 2026. Although he did not call Jake Paul, he is clearly the other. The fight could be even bigger than a Joshua against Fury fight, because Jake has a much greater follow-up on social media than the outdated 37-year-old anger.
What Frank does not say is that Makmudov (21-2, 19 COs) is too dangerous for Joshua. Some of the shots with which the Big 6’5 1/2 ″ Russian Allen hit, AJ would have caused a lot of problems.
In the 11th and 12th rounds, Makhmudov still threw in his unanimous decision on ‘The White Rhino’ Allen last Saturday night. The perception that goes into battle was that Arslanbek would get tired in the later rounds, lose power and become vulnerable.
AJ’s punch resistance question
This did not happen to a large extent. He still hit as hard in round 12 as in the first three rounds. If Joshua was hit with the types of shots that Allen did, it would be bad for him. It would be the second consecutive knockout of AJ, and that would waste the money fights against Jake Paul and Fury.
“Everyone wants to fight against AJ. Of course, we work with Arslanbek, forward with fights, but everyone wants to fight against AJ,” said Matchroom CEO Frank Smith, CEO Frank Smith, Boxing King MediaRespond to the fact that Arslanbek Makhmudov said he wanted to fight against Anthony Joshua next Saturday night, after his victory over Dave Allen.
Why Matchrome Joshua doesn’t dare now
It is understandable why Smith does not want Joshua to come near a fighter like Makhmudov. He is too powerful and everything wrong for him. At this stage of AJ’s career, with his punching resistance, he is better to fight sleepers like Fury or Otto Wallin. Jake is good because he is so much smaller, and the huge wallet that Joshua gets will help to lose the battle of him.
Fury 2026: Still the big one for the match room
“Of course they do it. Everyone considers it their great opportunity but AJ is also on its own path about what he wants to do. The (Tyson) Fury Fight is a fight that was talked about in 2026. Let’s see how things play out, ”says Smith.
There it is, says Smith that Makhmudov is not in Joshua’s plans. He did not say who except Jake Paul will match Joshua if they do not get the Fury battle. ‘The Gypsy King’ is a rich belief, with a massive fortune estimated on $ 160 million. He may not want to come from his stately mansion in Morecambe to return to the hard life of a boxer, to wage war with a hard puncher like Joshua.
If Tyson had a little power like Makhmudov, I could see him return to the ring. But he cannot strike, and he will be forced to go 12 rounds to defeat Joshua. This is hard work for everyone, especially a chubby fighter who carries about 20+ pounds of excess weight around his midsection.
Bakole called – but no payday like Joshua
“He can get the big fights,” Smith said when asked what Makhmudov can do now. “He is now in that position with a win in an atmosphere in a night in a performance like that. He can fight bakole, ” said Smith about an option for Arslanbek.
Somehow, I do not see that Makhmudov is excited about the fight against Martin Bakole as a substitute option to fight the mega million payday against Joshua. The money he would get would be nowhere near that he was facing.
Since 2015, Olly Campbell has brought readers a clear perspective on the ring and a steady voice on the biggest evenings of Boxing.
Last updated on 10/12/2025
