British heavyweight boxer Dave Allen has shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight between Anthony Joshua and Russian contender Arslanbek Makhmudov, set to hold in 2026.
Allen, who recently faced Makhmudov in Sheffield and lost on points after 12 rounds, described the Russian as a heavy puncher but believes the fight may not go as many expect.
“He’s not as good as he was, still better than me, but not as good as he was. He can punch, though, he can punch. It’ll be a dangerous one or two rounds for Joshua, but Makhmudov is on the downhill slope himself. I think Joshua deals with him, it will be a dangerous fight though,” Allen said on The Stomping Ground podcast.
Makhmudov, who fights out of Montreal, dominated their bout but failed to secure the knockout many fans had predicted. After the match, he called out Joshua, saying, “I’m coming for you.”
The Russian later confirmed that Joshua had agreed to fight him next year after a brief conversation on Instagram. “Yeah, we just spoke a little bit on Instagram. Just friendly, you know. And I offered him as a next fight, he said, ‘Okay, next year then,’” Makhmudov told Boxing News.
The fight could mark Joshua’s long-awaited comeback after his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in 2024. Talks are also ongoing for a possible return to the ring in Nigeria early next year, in what would be his first-ever professional fight on home soil.
Meanwhile, Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole has also thrown his name into the mix, challenging Joshua to what he called “Rumble in the Jungle II.”
“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole told Sky Sports.
Promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu, who recently staged the Chaos in the Ring event in Lagos alongside former champion Amir Khan, confirmed that Bakole is one of several fighters being considered for Joshua’s next bout.
Makhmudov, who has suffered two knockout losses in his career, remains confident he can still make a statement against Joshua when the two finally meet in 2026.
