The Japan Times - Makhmudov hails heavyweight 'legend' Fury ahead of London clash

Canada-based Russian Makhmudov, 36, will be going up against 37-year-old two-time former world heavyweight champion British boxer Fury.

Makhmudov, however believes he can beat the local hero, even if he remains seemingly unsure of his route to victory.

"I don't know how I will beat (Fury), but of course I believe I will win," Makhmudov told the Guardian. "This guy, he is a legend, one of the best heavyweights in history."

He added: "Tyson Fury is the professor of mind and boxing. A lot of boxing is mental and he is a master. But boxing is also spiritual. I am going to be strong, spiritual and smart.

"You can say this is a war between mental and spiritual and we'll see who is more successful. Inshallah it is spiritual."

Makhmudov, who has lost just two of his 23 professional bouts to date and has 19 knockouts to his credit, highlighted Fury's boxing intelligence as one of the biggest threats to his hopes of victory and cited the 'Gypsy King's' victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder as evidence.

He also accepts he will be fighting in front of an overwhelmingly pro-Fury crowd of some 60,000 on Saturday but has no qualms following a points win over Dave Allen in Sheffield, northern England last year.

Makhmudov endured hardship as a youngster, before moving to Montreal nine years ago, and at one point even travelled to Moscow to fight a bear.

"It was very terrible, to be honest," he recalled. "One of my friends make me an offer (to fight the bear).

He said: 'Do you want to make crazy stuff?' I said: 'OK, I cannot refuse.'

"But I will never do it again. The bear tried to bite me and it was a good thing that never happened."

H.Hayashi--JT