Frank Smith disqualifies Joshua Mahmudov after Allen wins

Match Room CEO Frank Smith has ruled out a fight between Anthony Joshua and Arslanbek Mahmudov following the Russian’s big win over Dave Allen last Saturday night in Sheffield, England.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

“AJ is going his own way” – what does it mean

Smith said Tyson Fury is one of the names being talked about to fight Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in 2026. Although he didn’t mention Jake Paul, it’s clear he is too. This fight could be bigger than the Joshua vs. Fury fight, as Jake has a much larger social media following than the 37-year-old Fury.

What Frank didn’t say is that McModov (21-2, 19 KO) poses a huge threat to Joshua. Some of the shots the big 6’5 1/2″ Russian hit Allen with were going to cause AJ a lot of trouble.

Khammoudov was still throwing tremendous power in rounds 11 and 12 in his twelve-round unanimous decision win over “White Rhino” Allen last Saturday night. The perception during the fight was that Arslan Bey would tire in the later rounds, lose his strength, and become vulnerable.

AJ punch resistance question

This largely did not happen. He was still hitting as hard in the 12th round as he did in the first three rounds. If Joshua takes the same kind of shots as Allen, it will be bad for him. This would be AJ’s second straight knockout, and would spoil his money fights against Jake Paul and Fury.

“Everyone wants to fight AJ. Obviously we’ll be working with Arslanbek, going forward with the fight, but everyone wants to fight AJ,” Matchroom CEO Frank Smith said. King of Boxing Mediain response to being told that Arslanbek Mahmudov said he wanted to fight Anthony Joshua after his win over Dave Allen last Saturday night.

Why won’t Match Room risk Joshua now

It’s understandable why Smith wouldn’t want Joshua anywhere near a fighter like Mahmudov. He’s so powerful and it’s all wrong for him. At this point in AJ’s career, where his resistance to punches seems to have disappeared, he’d be better off fighting strikers like Fury or Otto Wallin. Jake is fine because he is much smaller, and the giant purse that Joshua will receive will help soften the blow of losing him.

Fury 2026: Still the big event in Matchroom

“Of course, they do. Everyone looks at it as their big opportunity, but AJ is also going his own way What he wants to do. “The (Tyson) Fury fight is a much-talked about fight in 2026. Let’s see how it goes,” Smith said.

Here’s Smith saying that Mahmudov is not in Joshua’s plans. He did not say who Joshua would face, besides Jake Paul, if they failed to make the Fury fight. “The Gypsy King” is incredibly wealthy, with a huge fortune estimated at 160 million dollars. He may not want to leave his luxurious mansion in Morecambe and return to the hard life of a boxer, fighting a fight with a powerful boxer like Joshua.

If Tyson has some punching power like Mahmudov, I can see him getting back in the ring. But he can’t hit, and will have to go 12 rounds to defeat Joshua. This is hard work for anyone, especially a beefy fighter carrying about 20 pounds of excess weight around his midsection.

Bacol mentioned – but no payday like Joshua

“He can take the big fights,” Smith said when asked what Mahmudov can do now. “He is now in this position after winning in an atmosphere like this on a night like this and in a performance like this. He can fight Bakoli. Smith said of Arslanbek’s option.

Somehow, I don’t see Mahmudov being keen on fighting Martin Bakul as an alternative option to get the mega million in the Joshua fight. The money he’ll get fighting Bakul won’t be anywhere near what he’ll get fighting AJ.

Since 2015, Ollie Campbell has provided readers with a clear ringside perspective and a consistent voice on boxing’s biggest nights.