Heavyweight contenders Arslanbek Makhmudov and Guido Vianello will face off in a 10-round bout on Saturday, August 17, at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. This bout serves as the co-feature to the Christian Mbilli vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko super middleweight main event. The event, promoted by Top Rank and Eye of the Tiger, will be broadcast live in the U.S. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with coverage in the U.K. and Ireland on Sky Sports.
Makhmudov (19-1, 18 KOs) is eager to prove himself after recovering from a double fracture in his right hand, sustained during a loss to current heavyweight contender Agit Kabayel. In his comeback fight in May, Makhmudov stopped Serbian giant Miljan Rovcanin in the second round. Makhmudov previously defeated Vianello in a 2015 World Series of Boxing match, where Vianello retired in the fourth round due to an ear injury.
“Vianello is a tough fighter but also a very good fighter, as we saw in his last fight,” Makhmudov said. “This is an important step for me. I want to show that I am a top contender, and to get closer to my goal, I must prove that I’m better than this guy.”
Vianello (12-2-1, 10 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, began his 2024 campaign with a first-round knockout of Moses Johnson in New York City. He then faced Efe Ajagba, one of the division’s hardest punchers, and lost a closely contested split decision.
“I’m ready to compete against the top heavyweights in the world. This is only the beginning of my journey,” Vianello said. “The fight with Arslanbek is exactly what I wanted at this point in my career, and I look forward to a great fight on August 17 in Quebec City.”
The undercard, streamed on ESPN+, features Cuban super middleweight contender Osleys Iglesias (11-0, 10 KOs) following his recent one-round destruction of Evgeny Shvedenko. Additionally, Wilkens Mathieu (9-0, 6 KOs), Leïla Beaudoin (11-1, 1 KO), and Thetford Mines native Thomas Chabot (10-0, 8 KOs) will fight in front of their home crowd. Cleveland-born lightweight Abdullah Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) and middleweight Jahi Tucker (11-1-1, 5 KOs) will also make their Canadian debuts.
