Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Michael Wallisch | ESPN - December 16, 2022

[Cent0089]

Not bad. Unbeaten guy with KOs is always dangerous. Should be a fun fight . Both are in their 30s, lets see who is real one

[Ruthless-RKO]

Akpejiori Is out.

Back to the drawing board.

A new opponent is expected to be announced in the coming days.

[margaret thatcher]

well, we could end up with a better opponent, but i have to admit i was looking forward to seeing a giant timber

[Ruthless-RKO]

well, we could end up with a better opponent, but i have to admit i was looking forward to seeing a giant timber

Same here.

[Cent0089]

Oponent was decent. Expect some short overweight mexican now.

[gregregegg]

Surely some people are actualy keen for this after his less than brilliant outing vs takem..

Pulev, sanchez, bakole, Kuzman, Ali Eren Demirezen, Gassiev, Zhan... Should all put there hand up. that being said.

that said get ready for Hammer/charr/lenroy thomas/shawndell winters to get rolled out....

[Ruthless-RKO]

Oponent was decent. Expect some short overweight mexican now.

Still a month to go. Who knows.

[lenny.boxing]

Arslanbek seems a bit like berlanga good ko streak until he fights a better guy.
Should be a fun one, will probably go the full 10 rounds and Arslanbek will win a decision

[gregregegg]

Oponent was decent. Expect some short overweight mexican now.

Na, it won’t be Ruiz.

[margaret thatcher]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Arslanbek Makhmudov-Michael Wallisch New Headliner For December 16 EOTTM Show

Arslanbek Makhmudov has secured an opponent for his next fight.

Germany’s Michael Wallisch has agreed to next face the unbeaten Makhmudov, Eye of The Tiger Management (EOTTM) founder and president Camille Estephan confirmed to BS.com. The revised heavyweight clash comes mere days after Makhmudov was left without an opponent for the main event of a December 16 show from Centre Gervais Auto in Shawinigan, Canada.

Wallisch (23-5, 16KOs) replaces Raphael Akpejiori (14-0, 13KOs), a 6’8” Nigerian bow based out of Miami whose team apparently agreed to another fight in bailing from previously agreed upon plans to face Makhmudov. The 37-year-old from Munich is coming off a confidence-restoring second-round knockout of Toni Thes on May 28 in Hamburg, Germany.

The win served as Wallisch’s only ring appearance since a fourth-round knockout loss to former unified cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev last July in Moscow. The well-traveled Wallisch will fight in his sixth different country in a span of nine fights, and just his second in North America. He was also previously stopped by a trio of unbeaten heavyweights in Joe Joyce, Tony Yoka and Efe Ajagba.

Makhmudov (15-0, 14 KOs) is coming off a ten-round decision win over former title challenger Carlos Takam on September 10 in Montreal. The feat marked the first distance for the 33-year-old Russian heavyweight now based out of Montreal, who’d previously stopped every opponent he’d faced and none lasting beyond the seventh round.

The rest of the show remains intact, including a heavyweight crossroads bout between Quebec’s Simon Kean (21-1, 20 KOs) and former title challenger Eric Molina (29-8, 21 KOs).

Fringe middleweight contender Steven Butler (31-3-1, 26 KOs) faces Joshua Conley (17-4-1, 11 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round bout. A more significant pairing pits unbeaten Mary Spencer (7-0, 5 KOs) and former four-time title challenger Femke Hermans (13-4, 5KOs) in a ten-round junior middleweight bout.

Spencer was recently named as the number-one and mandatory contender for the WBC junior middleweight title held by lineal/WBC/IBF/WBO champ Natasha Jonas (13-2-1, 8 KOs).

Makhmudov holds the WBC’s Silver title, though EOTTM was unsuccessful in getting him to advance in the rankings. With a win on December 16, he will then have to next face Kazakhstan’s Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs).

[Ruthless-RKO]

You reckon they could find a better opponent being a month out.

[Lackeos]

Well, he certainly seems to be going after every gatekeeper there is. Hopefully he's almost done with playing it safe and ready to fight someone in the top 25.

[DrDuke]

Another fast kayo.

[margaret thatcher]

eh, less interesting than the huge previous guy, at least he was more of an unknown. we know wallisch will fold quickly without fuss

[gregregegg]

Whats the line betting for time of stoppage? 90 seconds...?

[gregregegg]

Oponent was decent. Expect some short overweight mexican now.

Literally the exact opposite. A tall skinny German...

[Cent0089]

Oponent was decent. Expect some short overweight mexican now.

Literally the exact opposite. A tall skinny German...

Yeah, but IMO with same effect

[Ruthless-RKO]

SIMON KEAN SUFFERS BACK INJURY, CANCELS HIS FIGHT AGAINST ERIC MOLINA

News broke this morning that a back injury would rule out rising heavyweight Simon Kean from facing two-time world title challenger Eric Molina at the Centre Gervais Auto in Shawinigan, Canada, on December 16.

Kean couldn’t hide his disappointed that he won’t be able to fight in front of his home crowd.

“I’m so upset at not being able to fight in Shawinigan on December 16,” said Kean. “I’ve had some of my best career matches right here. The ambience and the support that the people have given me is unequalled anywhere, and it’s the fans who push me to excel in the ring.”

His trainer Vincent Auclair further conveyed his fighter’s frustration.

“We’re disappointed at having to cancel the fight because training was going really well and we noticed Simon improving leaps and bounds in the areas we were working on,” said the young trainer. “But with Simon’s injury, we couldn’t go all out at training and began to fall behind our preparation for the fight.

“Right night, Simon is going to focus on treatment and on getting plenty of rest, and we’ll slowly but surely pick up where we left off and make a powerful return in 2023.”

Despite Kean pulling out the Eye of The Tiger promotion will still see big-punching heavyweight Arslanbek Makhumdov (15-0, 14 knockouts) look for his third win of the year, when he faces Michael Wallisch (23-5, 16 KOs).

Heading up the undercard, fast-rising junior middleweight Mary Spencer (7-0, 5 KOs) will face experienced Femke Hermans (13-4, 5 KOs) and NABF middleweight titlist Steven Butler will meet American hopeful Joshua Conley (17-4-1, 11 KOs).

[gregregegg]

With keen out Mak Truck should just fight Wallisch and molina both on the same night... why the fuk not ay.

[margaret thatcher]

molina is such a flopper, even when he quickly gets ko'd i can stand seeing him anymore

[Ruthless-RKO]

molina is such a flopper, even when he quickly gets ko'd i can stand seeing him anymore

Just his face is annoying to look at.

[gregregegg]

molina is such a flopper, even when he quickly gets ko'd i can stand seeing him anymore

Molina vs Dinu... race to see who can throw themselves onto the canvas first.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Arslanbek Makhmudov In Action On ESPN This Friday: “We Go For Win And Destroy”

Unbeaten Russian heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov will be in action this Friday, in what will be one of the final notable fights of the year. The 33 year old who now resides in Canada has had a good 2022, during which the towering puncher upped the level of his quality of opposition with wins over Mariusz Wach and, last time out, Carlos Takam.

Now 15-0 (14), Makhmudov is aiming to “destroy” Michael Wallisch, who he will meet in Shawinigan, Canada on Friday. And then, Makhmudov and his promoter Camille Estephan told RingTV.com, the plan is to go for the big guys next year. Makhmudov went ten rounds for the first time in the Takam fight, and the puncher says he added to his game with the experience but that he wants another stoppage win over Wallisch.

“I expect a fight. I’ll be ready for December 16, 100 percent, and we go for a win and destroy,” Makhmudov said. “Every fight gives you experience; every fight helps you to improve if you do it the right way. Mariusz Wach did that, and Carlos Takam has a difficult style for me. I did ten rounds. I never did before, and this was very important to know how I felt after ten rounds, I felt very good. I do everything for the win (over Wallisch). If I have a chance to finish him I do that. My career will go up and I’m happy about that. I will do everything to reach my goal and fight for a world title. It will be soon.”

Estephan of Eye of the Tiger, says the tough part now is finding top-15 guys who are willing to step in the ring with Makhmudov.

“Top fighters find Arslanbek to be VERY high risk for low reward,” he explained. “Basically, that’s where we’re at, although we’ve offered more than generous terms to many, many fighters. It is our intention to keep him active and force the big names of the top-15 boxers to fight him through popular demand or federation mandatories.”

It will be interesting seeing how far Makhmudov can go. Some fans feel he was a little bit “exposed” in the Takam fight, although Takam is one tough dude and Makhmudov did score two knockdowns in the fight. Wallisch might stick around for a few rounds, the 37 year old German having plenty of experience himself. At 23-5(16) – with all the losses coming inside the distance – Wallisch has fought the likes of Christian Hammer, Efe Ajagba, Tony Yoka, Joe Joyce and Murat Gassiev.

Wallisch lost to theses fighters but he gave most of them a decent test. Look for Makhmudov to get the stoppage win in around four rounds, before he and his team ramp up his campaign for a title shot next year.

[CMCanavessi]

When's the weigh-in?