Rising heavyweight power-puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov will kick off his 2022 campaign against Polish veteran Mariusz Wach at the Montreal Casino on Saturday.

Makhmudov, who was the subject of a New Faces feature in the July 2020 issue of The Ring, believes this opponent will give him a different look and provide some resistance.

“He is a huge guy – this will be the first time in my career that I’ll be facing a guy bigger and heavier than me,” Makhmudov (13-0, 13 knockouts) told The Ring through Francois Pratte. “He has a very good chin. He has a lot of experience. He has faced many world champions and did well in these fights. This will be a good challenge for me and a good show for the fans.”

The colossal 32-year-old, who was born in Russia and now resides in Canada, hasn’t focused on one particular area to prepare for Wach.

“I do not necessarily work on any specific tricks for this fight,” Makhmudov revealed. “I’m working hard as usual in the gym. My team and I are adjusting a bit considering Wach’s size, but one thing is sure, we are ready for him.”

Makhmudov feels that a pair of first-round knockouts he scored over Pavel Sour and former European champion Erkan Teper were important steppingstones in his development.

“2021 was a very good year for me,” he said. “They were short fights, but it doesn’t matter if they lasted one round or 10 rounds because what is most important is the results. We are working very hard to continue to get results that are as good as these.”

Makhmudov’s promoter, Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management, feels Wach is a step up in opposition.

“I think it’s a very important fight for Arslanbek,” said Estephan. “Wach is a highly respected boxer, who is very durable and could give him some rounds. He’s technically very sound. He’s always a danger. Focus is going to be very important throughout the fight.

“For 2022, we simply want to push in the rankings to position us for a world title fight. We believe he’s ready to be crowned champion, once the opportunity presents itself.”

Wach (36-7, 19 KOs) has been a professional since 2005. He won his first 27 fights before losing to unified heavyweight titleholder Wladimir Klitschko (UD 12) in 2012. After returning to the win column with four wins, he was stopped by Alexander Povetkin (TKO 12).

The 42-year-old has also lost to Jarrell Miller (TKO 9), Dillian Whyte (UD 10) and, more recently, Hughie Fury (UD 10). Wach has been stopped on three occasions but has never been taken out early.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright

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