Arslanbek Makhmudov has been getting into scraps for as long as he can remember.
As a boy, no more than four-years-old, Makhmudov said he looked down at his fists and realised if he needed to, he could punch the other kids and make them cry.
Things became more serious on the tough streets of Dagestan where, as Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) explains, you don’t take a backwards step to anyone.
“This was the reason because in my culture it’s ‘never give up,'” Makhmudov tells ESPN. “To go always forward. Even if he’s a big guy, if he’s told me something [offensive], I cannot leave him. I have to do something.”
His mother pleaded with his uncle to get him into boxing and keep him off the streets. Makhmudov says he has always tackled his fears head on. As a boy, he jumped off a five-metre high ledge to banish his phobia of heights.
As a child, he witnessed his dad place a glass bottle on a table at his local drinking spot and smash it with his bare fist … His way of showing he was tough.
“I saw myself … He went [bang], smashed the bottle. A lot of blood,” Makhmudov recalls.
Makhmudov has taken on his own bold endeavours, famously wrestling a bear in the woods after a dare from a friend. He didn’t enjoy the experience but says it’s in his DNA to embrace a challenge, no matter how ridiculous.
“It was so scary. I was thinking to myself: ‘How can I wrestle with this bear,'” he explains.
“I’m the kind of guy, since I was a kid, I was a very small kid, if I had a phobia, I took it as a challenge.”
He takes on the biggest challenge of his career on Saturday in trying to upset Tyson Fury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Makhmudov moved from Russia to Canada to pursue his dreams, linking up with trainer Marc Ramsay, who also guides former undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
Boxing is all Makhmudov has ever known when it comes to a career. He also has a degree in physical education from Russian State University, but he says the Fury fight is his destiny.
Makhmudov has a solid record but still faces a huge step up in Fury. He has lost twice, once to WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel via knockout. His second defeat also came via stoppage, against Guido Vianello two years ago. He debuted in the U.K. last time out against Dave Allen, last October, and won on points.
“I try to win because it’s the fight of my life. I fight for my dream. For me it’s everything,” Makhmudov tells ESPN about facing Fury.
“To him it’s a warm-up fight but for me it’s everything. I cannot lose my chance. It’s my chance to [beat a former] world champion, the best in the world. I cannot lose it.”
Fury insists he isn’t taking the clash lightly, labelling the Russian “dangerous,” with the bigger fights, namely Anthony Joshua and a potential trilogy bout with Oleksandr Usyk, at risk should Makhmudov realise his dream.
“They say: ‘Why did you choose someone so dangerous as Arslanbek Makhmudov?’ Truth of the matter is; if I fight a pudding, I don’t get turned on by that,” Fury said.
“I have to fight somebody dangerous to make me even train, to take it seriously.”
Indeed, Fury took a training camp on Thailand seriously knowing his big, strong, tough opponent — who didn’t back down from a bear — certainly won’t fear their make-or-break clash on Saturday night.
