IF LOOKS could kill, Arslanbek Makhmudov would be the most dangerous man in boxing.
The 6ft 6in Russian – who has drawn comparisons to a typical James Bond villain by fans on social media – faces Dave Allen on Saturday night.
Arslanbek Makhmudov cuts a mean heavyweight look[/caption]
Makhmudov regularly has his abs smashed with sledgehammers[/caption]
Makhmudov cuts the meanest of looks and has the attributes to back it up, standing 6ft 6in tall and weighing over 18 STONE.
His training methods are also mad enough to strike fear into any opponent.
Makhmudov – a former European amateur champion – regularly has a sledgehammer smashed against his abs to toughen up his core.
And when he runs out of sparring partners brave enough to share the ring with him – he has to look elsewhere in the form of BEARS.
Footage has shown Makhmudov sensationally wrestling bears – even trying to put them in headlocks.
But, when they’re not grappling, they’re hanging out with hilarious footage showing a grizzly bear putting his claws around Makhmudov.
In the ring, as a professional the 36-year-old has a record of 20 wins – 19 by knockout – and just two losses coming against Agit Kabayel and Ricardo Brown.
The Canadian-based heavyweight’s fights have all been in North America or Saudi Arabia – but he now travels to Sheffield to take on Allen.
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Allen is riding high off a brutal knockout over Johnny Fisher, 26, in their May rematch but admits he is s*** scared of Makhmudov.
He said: “I’m s****ing myself, to be honest!
“Yeah, really bad. Yeah, really s****ing myself, actually. This fella’s really dangerous and I’ve trained really hard.
“This’ll be the first time where if I get beat, it’s like, I’m not as good as I maybe hoped I was. I think this fella’s like a top 20 guy.
“He’s a bit off the very top. I think he’s a fair bit off the very top, but if I beat him, I have to be in the conversation of being a very good fighter, and I’ve always thought I could be on my day.
“This is my day. I’m 33. I’ve trained hard, so I’m nervous. I’m nervous for two reasons. One, I think he’s a dangerous fight.
“This is a fella that’s going to come and look for me. And two, if I lose, I’m not sure if it’s [whether] I’m not as good as I thought I was, but I’m not as good as I hoped I was.”
Allen admits he has never felt pressure like this.
Allen vs Makhmudov – all the info
DAVE ALLEN returns to the ring for one of the biggest tests of his career this weekend!
The White Rhino faces Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of what should be a raucous home Yorkshire crowd at the Sheffield Arena.
Allen is coming off a brilliant win over Johnny Fisher and could well face Deontay Wilder in a blockbuster fight should he get through this fight.
But Makhmudov is one of the hardest hitting fighters in the sport, with 19 of his 20 wins coming by KO.
Here’s everything you need to know about the big fight.
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He added: “Until probably the first Johnny Fisher fight, I never had a care in the world. I was just doing the boxing for the craic, really.
“It was what it was. It was a good time for me. I had a good time, and I boxed because it was something to do, but now it’s my job now.
“I’ve got a contract that says if I lose, I can come back. I can come back to good fights and that, but I really want to win, and what’s making me more nervous is Sheffield Arena.
“We’ve got about 8,000 tickets. Me and Ed [promoter Eddie Hearn] thought we’d do about 2,000, and that was a worry.
“That was only going to do a couple of thousand, and I don’t want to let them all down, really. I don’t want them to go home sad.
I want them to go home happy, and so, yeah, that means more to me. For me, winning, people say, ‘Oh, the money, all that.’
“It’s not really about that. I want to send everyone home happy. That’s what would make me happy.
“I want everyone to come to Sheffield and want to come back again.”
Dave Allen and Makhmudov ahead of their fight[/caption]
