Arslanbek Makhmudov got his career back on track in destructive fashion on Saturday night. The 6ft 5in Russian was at his brutal best as he made quick work of Miljan Rovcanin in a heavyweight clash at the Centre Gervais Auto arena in Quebec, Canada. Rovcanin entered the bout with a respectable 21-3 record but had been knocked out early in previous big fights against Jared Anderson and Agit Kabayel.
It was a similar story against Makhmudov, who sent him flying through the ropes with a two-punch combination in the opening round. The former Serbian heavyweight champion almost landed face-first at ringside, but he managed to get back into the squared circle and keep fighting. Rovcanin even managed to land a few eye-catching shots as he closed out a tough first frame by trying to earn some respect from his opponent.
It didn’t work. Makhmudov continued to press forward in round two and closed the show with a monstrous right-hand shot that sent Rovcanin crashing through the ropes again. This time, he wasn’t able to beat the referee’s 10-count.
Scary footage shared on social media by Top Rank shows Makhmudov cracking his neck after both of his knockdowns against Rovcanin. The 19-1 star was on the brink of big things before running into Kabayel on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s win over Otto Wallin last December. Makhmudov went looking for the big KO from the opening bell, but his underdog opponent demonstrated good footwork and boxed smartly.
Occasionally, he broke through.
