‘The Gladiator’ finally tamed the ‘Lion.’ The subduing part didn’t take place in the Colosseum. In the duel that unfolded in Quebec City’s Videotron Center, Guido Vianello skillfully raised some questions. In the ring, Arslanbek Makhmudov couldn’t find any answers. Nevertheless, the second career loss might have forced the Russian heavyweight to a crossroads, where he squares off against some hard-hitting posers.

The match on the Christian M’billi–Sergiy Derevyanchenko card reached the eighth round. Arslanbek Makhmudov was left with a severely swollen left eye, but its magnitude convinced the ring physician to call off the fight. The sight of Makhmudov’s face on the fight night had already caused grave concerns. Now, a selfie the heavyweight boxer took has only further added to the unease. It took little time before fans and a few prominent figures joined to share their viewpoints.

Arslanbek Makhmudov: Fighting through the pain

“Arslanbek Makhmudov has revealed his post-fight selfie,” read the tweet from Boxing Kingdom. The swelling was severe, so one can only imagine why the physician was so clear that Arslanbek Makhmudov shouldn’t proceed further.

Guido Vianello got down to business pretty early. Quick on the foot, he outboxed the Russian heavyweight. In April, the Italian Olympian came off a split-decision loss to top-ranked Efe Ajagba. Arslanbek Makhmudov, on the other hand, was riding on the back of his 2nd round knockout win over Miljan Rovcanin on a Christian M’billi card. Right from the opening bell, it became clear who controlled the ring. Vianello reportedly won each round.

For Makhmudov, the trouble started when the left eye began swelling in the third round. By the time the fight reached the seventh round, it appeared to have partially covered the left side of the face; the swelling was so extensive. Nevertheless, the fight continued. A seventh-round knockdown from the ‘Gladiator,‘ which he followed up with a right-left combination, had visibly shaken the ‘Lion.‘ A few minutes into the eighth round, the story was over — the referee waived his hands after the doctor confirmed that Arslanbek Makhmudov needed to stop.

Brutal reality check

While his selfie worried most of the fans, quite a few shared that Arslanbek Makhmudov should consider retirement. Let’s check what some of them had to say.

This fan found a comparison between Makhmudov’s face and Hollywood actor Eric Stoltz’s character in the 1985 flick ‘Mask.’ Talking about the severity of the injury, they criticized the ring officials and the ‘Lion’s team members for not stopping the fight early. “Man came out of that fight resembling Eric Stoltz in Mask. Terrible officials and corner,” the fan said.

The intensity of the swelling and the punishing nature of boxing weighed in on the next fan. Makhmudov suffered significant losses recently, so they believe he would take an extended break to gain a clear perspective on his future. The fan said, “DAMN!!!!! That’s a nasty swelling on his eye/ face. MAKMUDHOV needs to take a very long break and decide what to do with his career next. This is the second big loss he got after Kabayel defeated him. Heavyweight boxing = legal brutal punishment.”

Echoing almost similar sentiments, the next follower believes that the loss to Guido Vianello seems to have confirmed how vulnerable Makhmudov could come off against competent boxers. Hence, his standing in the heavyweight boxing contention has considerably weakened. So he could either retire for good or start taking on low-caliber fighters purely for monetary benefits. The follower said, “He is now badly exposed by boxers over punchers. It’s unlikely he reaches contender status anymore. Time for retirement or low-level sandbag fights for money.“

Ryan Garcia called out everyone to show that Arslanbek Makhmudov’s injury just proves how difficult and dangerous the sweet science is. “Boxing is easy, you say?” said KingRy. Going with the common theme, the next fan pointed out that if Makhmudov is getting badly injured by a non-ranked boxer like Guido Vianello, one can only imagine what would happen if he went against a top-tier opponent. Hence, it might be time to consider hanging the gloves, the fan posited. “I mean, if Vianello is doing that to you, it’s probably time to call it a day,” they said.

Arslanbek Makhmudov might take some time to recuperate and return to the ring. Otherwise, the loss has raised serious questions about his position in the heavyweight division.

Not to forget his age; he turned 35 this June, making a triumphant return a daunting task. On the other hand, with a clear demonstration of his athleticism that worked well with his swift moves, Guido Vianello might have gained a significant fan following. The Rome-born 30-year-old should return to another exciting lineup soon that may help him scale up the ranks.

What are your views? Do you also believe that Arslanbek Makhmudov should genuinely consider retiring from boxing after a second career loss?