Arslanbek Makhmudov and Guido Vianello will collide in a heavyweight showdown on Saturday, August 17th, at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City. The duo trade blows in a professional fight nine years after their amateur battle. How big will the Makhmudov vs Vianello purse be and how will it be distributed? We took a detailed look at the financial details before the grand reunion of two brilliant boxers.
Makhmudov vs Vianello Purse: Who Will Make the Big Bucks?
Makhmudov and Vianello clash on the undercard of the high-stakes main event between Christian Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko. With the main event purse nearing a million dollars, it’s expected that the Makhmudov vs Vianello purse will offer a significantly smaller payout.
The Russian, who is a former WBC-NABF and WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight champion, should draw the higher split of the Makhmudov vs Vianello payouts. We believe Makhmudov will make $275,000 from the fight as guaranteed payment.
Interestingly, this isn’t Makhmudov’s largest boxing fighter pay record. He previously earned the same amount, $275,000, for his 2022 fight against Carlos Takam, also held in Canada.
Makhmudov had made $275,00 from a single fight once before, which also took place in Canada. In 2022, he made the amount by beating Carlos Takam at Montreal Casino.
His Italian counterpart never held any world titles and failed in his WBC Silver heavyweight challenge against Efe Ajagba in April. Regardless, Vianello’s share of the Makhmudov vs Vianello prize money should be $100,000.
Boxing Fighter Payouts – Makhmudov vs Vianello
In their previous meeting in Milan in 2015, Makhmudov emerged victorious after a hard-fought four rounds. The fight was stopped due to an ear injury suffered by Vianello. The now Canada-based Russian secured the win.
The heavy-handed Russian rebounded from his sole career loss to Agit Kabayel late last year with a devastating second-round knockout of Miljan Rovcanin in May. Kabayel’s subsequent stoppage victory over highly-touted Frank Sanchez in May has significantly diminished the impact of Makhmudov’s defeat.
Following a majority draw against Kingsley Ibeh and a subsequent first professional loss to Jonathan Rice—a defeat largely attributed to an unfortunate cut—Vianello was often categorized as a durable but limited fighter. Many viewed him as a potential stepping stone for rising contenders.
Vianello entered his April bout against the heavily favored Nigerian knockout artist, Efe Ajagba, as a significant underdog. Ajagba, riding a wave of four consecutive wins over solid opponents, was seen as a rising contender on the cusp of a world title shot.
Yet, Vianello defied expectations, stunning Ajagba with a devastating overhand right in the second round. Had that punch landed slightly earlier, the Italian heavyweight might have secured a knockout victory.
Ajagba, displaying remarkable resilience, weathered the early storm and made tactical adjustments midway through the contest. However, Vianello maintained control of the fight, landing cleaner punches throughout.
The Italian heavyweight’s superior power was evident in his significant 118-93 advantage in power punches landed. This dominance was recognized by at least one judge, who scored the fight in Vianello’s favor.
Bren Gray is our resident Kiwi, and has been writing about sports since he could first string words together. He first fell in love with boxing when David Tua took on Lennox Lewis in 2000, and hasn't looked back since.
