It is certain that Joshua would not dare to fight Makhmudov while Makhmudov was undefeated, this now gives the impression that Joshua would easily beat him, but he will not beat him because he has no heart, the only important thing is that the fight happens and Joshua gets crushed.
I think it all really depends on were Joshua’s head is at tbh,if he comes out early full of confidence he certainly has the experience and power to brutally stop Makhmudov and stop him early,however should we see the tentative,under pressure Joshua with that forlorn look like we saw before the Ruiz 1 Usyk 1 Helenius Dubois fights then the big Russian may well just pull off the upset win. I would be surprised tbh if Hearn puts Joshua in a risky fight with any puncher before going for the big cash out fight !
Eddie Hearn on IFL basically said this isn’t happening. Completely pushed back on it and said Makhmudovs name is in the hat but it is unlikely.
Makh really isn’t that good. He can be a fast starter but his best accomplishment really is scraping through a very faded Takam and Allen who is British level at best.
You wouldn’t bet your life on it. If AJ has anything left he would box cautiously imo and probably break Mak down. If Mak catches him though, AJ could be break dancing again.
I was thinking Vianello off the back of his win last night. But realistically they are both top 30 guys, top 20 on a good day. Joshua ideally wants someone around that level who's ranked with the a sanctioning body that he can use to get back into title contention.
Do you just wake up and throw darts at a poster of AJ on your wall before you start your day? Its not healthy bro