Everyone wants to be like Mike Tyson. Most fighters today remain keen on imbibing the prowess that the former heavyweight legend once boasted of. So much so that they align their boxing skills with the signature moves of the fighter in the ring. One such fighter is a Russian heavyweight boxer, Arslanbek Ruslanovich Makhmudov.

Makhmudov made his pro-debut in the year 2017. In the fight against Jaime Barajas in Toronto, he scored a first-round knockout victory. However, he rose to notoriety when he secured the WBC-NABF heavyweight title in 2019 in a fight against Julian Fernandez. As his boxing prowess came to international fame, the realm was quick to identify certain traits of his that matched with ‘Iron Mike’.

Fans dismiss comparisons between Makhmudov and Mike Tyson

Famous boxing commentator, ShowBizzTheAdult broke down the comparison that has been made between Makhmudov and Mike. In a reaction video to one of the Russian fighter’s bouts, ShowBizz seemed impressed with the clean knockout victory he secured. The video features ‘Lion’ barely showing any defensive moves. However, he kept throwing powerful hooks toward his opponent, that were devastating. As he knocks out his opponent, he further twitches his neck the way Tyson used to do after he finished his opponents.

Fans joined the field day along with ShowBizz. One fan appreciated the entertaining way in which the commentator reacted to the clip. They said, “You are hilarious Bizz. It’s more fun watching you than the fights. Blessings to you and yours.”

Another fan was not impressed with Makhmudov’s slow jabs. They wrote, “If you like slow and wide open, he’s your guy…Yes he has power.”

Further came a fan who vehemently dismissed the similarities between Makhmudov and Mike. They commented, “He is no Tyson it’s a disgrace to call him that.”

A fan clarified that Bizz was just comparing the neck twitch and not the fight style. They elaborated, “Bizz is talking about the head tick that he’s doing the way Iron Mike use to do he was younger.”

While dismissing the fighter’s similarity with Tyson, a fan placed him in the shadows of George Foreman. They wrote, “He isn’t the Russian Tyson, maybe Foreman instead. Kudos to him, he is a powerful fighter, that’s about it.”

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It is debatable if Makhmudov’s style is similar to that of legendary Mike Tyson. But the neck twitches? Perhaps, a close call. Destiny however brought the two fighters at the same venue on October 28th this year. While Tyson was present at the Boulevard Hall of Riyadh to witness his mentee, Francis Ngannou go against Tyson Fury, Makhmudov was there to fight in the undercard against Junior Anthony Wright.

However, what did you think of the similarities drawn between the two fighters? Let us know in the comments section below.

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