It will prove to be a very tough, long road back for Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov. As fans know, the giant, once seen as a real threat for the world title just a few months ago, suffered a pretty bad beating, being stopped by the new ‘Italian Stallion,’ Guido Vianello. The fight took place in Quebec City, Canada, on the undercard of the Christian Mbilli-Sergey Derevyanchenko slugfest.
Dropped in the seventh round (Makhmudov’s hand touched down, but the referee missed it), the 35-year-old Makhmudov’s left eye had been swelling up badly by round three, and it was looking like a bad night for him. Things got worse, and finally, Makhmudov, who was losing the fight before his eye worsened, was pulled out just two seconds into round eight.
Now 19-2 (18)—Makhmudov’s other loss came by stoppage to Agit Kabayel back in December—the Russian giant could well be finished as a top contender. As for Vianello, a former Olympian who improved to 13-2-1 (11) with last night’s win, the 30-year-old, who actually goes by the nickname ‘The Gladiator,’ could prove to be the dark horse of the heavyweight division.
A good fighter, beaten only by Efe Ajagba (via a split decision back in April of this year, with Vianello believing he deserved the win) and by Jonathan Rice (who stopped him on a cut eye in January 2023), Rome’s Vianello will almost certainly get another big fight opportunity soon enough. At an impressive 6’9″, Vianello is not only tall, but he is also athletic, can punch, and has a good chin.
There could be some interesting fights out there for Vianello in the coming months. Vianello now believes he is a serious world title contender. ‘I am a contender now,’ he said after winning last night. ‘I’m ready for the world level, and I proved that tonight.’
Maybe he did. As for Makhmudov, he may call for a rematch with Vianello, but the future does look pretty bleak for the ‘Lion,’ a heavyweight who was scaring quite a few people less than a year ago.
