Undefeated heavyweight puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov would love to get in the ring with former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua.
During his amateur days, Makhmudov defeated Mihai Nistor and Mahammadrasul Majidov – with both foes holding amateur wins over Joshua.
“I’d like to fight with Joshua,” Makhmudov told Sky Sports. “Maybe it gives me some advantage of course. It’s interesting. How he lost to two opponents, I beat those two opponents, it’s interesting. Already we have history. It’s going to be an interesting fight.”
Makhmudov will return to the ring on Saturday night, when he travels to Toledo to face another unbeaten puncher in Raphael Akpejiori.
Their fight will be the televised co-feature to Jared Anderson taking on former world champion Charles Martin.
“My goal is to do my job,” Makhmudov said. “If I do my job well, a knockout’s coming.
“All my fights are a message to my rivals. It’s my motivation to be the best in the world. I think it’s normal for all sportsmen. All sportsmen want to be the best in the world. That’s my goal to be best and first in the world, to show I can do that.
“My uncle brought me to a boxing gym and told me you’re going to be like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. I remember his words and this is my goal still. They give me an opponent, I will do the fight, that’s it. My target is to destroy everyone. That’s it.”
In his last fight back in December, Makhmudov crushed Michael Wallisch in the first round. Three months later, he went the distance for the first time with a ten round decision over Carlos Takam, who pulled off an upset win over Olympic gold medal winner Tony Yoka this past March.