Listening back to a recording of this interview, transcribing Arslanbek Makhmudov’s words at times resembled an act of deciphering. That’s not meant as a slight on his English; the Russian is certainly a capable speaker in his non-native tongue, but there are moments of broken language that add to the mystique around him.
It’s a mystique that was crafted across six years of professional boxing, in which the heavyweight went 18-0 with 17 knockouts (12 in the first round), and that was more recently enhanced when Makhmudov wrestled a bear. Dagestan things, you see.
