Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov suffered a fourth-round stoppage loss to Germany's Agit Kabayel in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
This is a first professional setback for the Montreal-based boxer (18-1-0, 17 KOs).
In particular, Kabayel delivered several blows to the Russian's abdomen, who collapsed near the ropes. Makhmudov was knocked down three times before the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round.
“I did my best and won the fight,” Kabayel said after the fight. […] Maybe I shocked the world? They spoke to ten people and nine said I could never win. Today we won.”
Before this much-anticipated confrontation, Makhmudov had promised that he would do everything to “le [Agit Kabayel] destroy,” but that didn’t happen. In fact, his opponent at the time dominated him from the beginning of the fight, although he was much more precise in the punches he threw.
Makhmudov seemed to be looking for the big punch to knock out his opponent, but it never happened. Kabayel had the answer to every blow the Russian threw at him and always managed to evade Makhmudov's unsuccessful attempts to undermine him.
“I could see in his face that he [Arslanbek Makhmudov] was not there. I saw him and stopped the fight.”
With this success, the 31-year-old athlete has not yet suffered a defeat in the professional ranks, having won all of his 24 fights (16 KOs). He also stated that he feels ready for any challenges that may come along his path in the future.
The gala, currently taking place in Riyadh, will also be attended by many of the world's top heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois.
Joshua will face Otto Wallin while Wilder will fight Parker.
For Makhmudov, this fight was his second in a row in Saudi Arabia. In October, he handily beat junior Anthony Wright in 70 seconds. However, his latest setback represents a significant step backwards in his path to championship contention.