By Ian S Palmer
Original article; https://www.sportsbetlistings.com/boxing/arslanbek-makhmudov-vs-guido-vianello-betting-odds-and-prediction/24107/
Two hard-hitting heavyweights will be going at it over 10 rounds this Saturday, August 17th as Arslanbek Makhmudov of Russia will be taking on Guido Vianello of Rome, Italy. The fight comes from Quebec City, Canada and can be seen live in America on the ESPN platform while fans in the UK and Ireland can see it on Sky Sports Action. Makhmudov last fought in May when he stopped Miljan Rovcanin in the second round to bounce back from his lone pro loss at the hands of Agit Kabayel when he was stopped in the fourth round last December to lose his NABF, and WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight Belts. Vianello last saw action in April when he dropped a 10-round split decision to Efe Ajagba in a shot at the WBC Silver Heavyweight Title.
The 35-year-old Makhmudov fights out of Montreal, Canada and makes the ring walk with a fine record of 19-1 with 18 Ko’s. There’s no denying his power as 94.7 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage with Carlos Takam being the only man to last the distance with him and go past the seventh round as well. In fact, 12 of his stoppages have come in the very first round. Makhmudov made his pro debut in 2018 and has just 48 rounds of experience under his belt due to his tremendous knockout record.
Before turning pro, he had a fine amateur career and also fought in the World Series of Boxing. Makhmudov stands just over 6-feet-5-inches tall and reportedly has an 80-inch reach. So far, the biggest wins of his career have been against Rovcanin, Junior Anthony Wright, Michael Wallisch,Takam, Pavel Sour, Jason Bergman, Jonathan Rice, Samuel Peter, Erkan Teper and Mariusz Wach. Since turning pro he’s also captured the NABA, WBC Continental Americas and vacant WBC Silver Heavyweight Crowns.
As for the hard-hitting Vianello, he’s 30 years old and carries around a record of 12-2-1 with 10 Ko’s and has banked just 57 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. Before that he also enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him compete in the World Series of Boxing. He won a silver medal at the 2014 European Championships and competed at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil where he was defeated by Lenier Pero in his opening match as a super-heavyweight. He measures 6-feet-6-inches tall with a 79-inch reach which gives him an inch in height over Makhmudov.
Vianello, who fights out of Las Vegas, also possesses excellent power as 83.3 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage but he’s stopped just one opponent in his last five outings. His lone loss came at the hands of Jonathan Rice in an upset in January, 2023 when he was halted in the seventh round due to a cut eye from a punch. His draw was a six-round affair with Kingsley Ibeh in 2020. Vianello also has wins over Curtis Harper, Rafael Rios, Marlon Williams and Colby Madison and will be taking another step up in class against this weekend.
Prediction…
Both boxers have very heavy hands and they’ve both been stopped in their only pro defeats. Makhmudov may be a one-dimensional fighter but he’s pretty good at what he does and hasn’t needed to display any fine boxing skills so far. Vianello hasn’t displayed as much power lately but has the better boxing skills. This fight likely won’t go the distance and let’s not forget Makhmudov is 35 years old now. I can see this contest going either way and it’s going to come down to power, chins and the will to win. I’ll give Makhmudov the slight edge since he possesses a bit more power. If Vianello can handle his heaviest shots though, Makhmudov may be in trouble.
