31-year-old Russian light heavyweight Arthur Beterbiev is a potential contender for the world boxing crown of compatriot Sergei Kovalev, who this week defended his WBO, WBA and IBF world titles in a fight against Malawian Isaac Chilemba. Having undergone shoulder surgery, the Russian triumphantly returned to the ring, defeating Argentine Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderno. In early June, this fight ended with a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now Beterbiev has 10 knockout victories out of 10 possible in the professional ring. In the near future, the athlete expects to fight for the title of world champion, but for now, in an exclusive interview with Lente.ru, he spoke about his formation, the help of his brother and Ramzan Kadyrov, about his family, childhood idols and plans for the future.
"Lenta.ru": Arthur, you recently returned to the ring after an almost year-long break due to injury. Some experts point out that the break was good for you. Do you agree with this assessment?
Beterbiev: A long break between fights is usually not beneficial. However, it just so happened, and, as they say, whatever is done is for the best. So it was better for me that way. The most important thing is that I am back. And now it is no worse than it was before. Well-being, mood, desire to win - all this not only did not decrease, but, on the contrary, increased.
How many fights are you planning to have this year? Your promoter Yvon Michel announced the fight at the end of September.
It is better to address this question to the promoter, because even my opponent for the September fight is still unknown. For me, the more, the better. I missed a whole year, so I would like to catch up.
Rumor has it that many boxers simply refuse to enter the ring after learning that they have to fight with you. Is the problem of finding rivals really so acute?
The promoter constantly informs me about this, because it is he who organizes the fights. I don't pay attention to it special attention, since each person has his own path. If someone refuses, it means that he believes that at the moment it is inappropriate for him to intersect with me. Moreover, they may have some other plans. I don't dwell on this.
Arthur, you have two Olympics behind you. Unfortunately, due to the decision of the professional boxing associations, which forbade their athletes to go to Rio, you will not be able to take part in the third.
I really wanted to perform at the Olympics, use my chance. At the same time, as far as I can judge from my personal Olympic experience, participation in the Games is a lottery in which it is impossible to guess who will be the champion. But I can't say that I was very upset. Back in 2013, when I was moving from amateurs to professionals, I was ready for such a development of events. Honestly, even then I said goodbye to Olympic dream.
It seemed that your promoter was the least interested in this story, since an unsuccessful performance at the Games could result in image and marketing losses for his organization.
He knows better, because he understands this business better than me. He just asked me: "Do you want to participate in the Olympics?" I agreed. And the questions that arose later did not interest me much.
Arthur, what is your usual weight between fights and how hard do you fit into it before a fight?
I boxed in the category up to 81 kg, then moved to the category 91. By the way, many people think that it was my mistake, but I do not regret it. Before the fight, I easily cut my weight down to 79.4 to fit into my weight class, and I feel comfortable. My usual training weight is 85-86.
You have fought ten fights in your career. All of them ended in early victory. Tell us about the most difficult one.
The hardest part was preparing for the fights, and the fights themselves were easier. As they rightly say, hard in training - easy in battle. The most difficult thing was to prepare psychologically for 12-round battles. However, the fights themselves were easy and ended quickly.
And what is your preparation for battle consists of?
First of all, this is "rough" work: physics, gaining power, strength. Then comes the lead-in to the fight: sparring, weight loss. And, of course, there is always psychological work. For example, I include sparring. When three or four partners change every round, this is the psychological barrier that must be overcome. At first, you feel the psychological burden from them, but it quickly passes.
Nine out of ten fights you fought in Canada, one in the United States. If you get the opportunity, would you like to enter the ring in Russia?
Of course, I really want to perform in front of my Russian fans. I really want to fight in Grozny. But Moscow is also a great option.
How important is patriotism to you? After all, in fact, you live, train and work in a foreign land.
Homeland is a part of me, it cannot be taken away. I am pleased when compatriots support me, when compatriots worry and pray for me. This is a great support for me.
How does your professional career a family?
My biggest cheerleader is my mom. She is very worried about me, because of this she cannot be present at my fights - her pressure immediately rises. Although, unlike amateur boxing, professionals are strongly encouraged to have their loved ones in the hall.
Does your mom discourage you from continuing your career?
She perfectly understands that I did not start boxing yesterday, and realizes that it would be wrong to ask to quit boxing. On the other hand, you don't need to do it for the rest of your life either. I know that my family will always be there - both now and after the end of my career.
How does your wife feel about your work?
She is not very happy that I am making a living as a professional boxer. She is also very worried and worried.
Nevertheless, she came to your recent fight with her son. You probably need to find the strength to come to your husband's fight ...
(Smiling) Well, she is still young, so she finds strength.
What support does the Chechen diaspora provide to you in Canada?
Huge. I would also like to mention the chairman of the Chechen diaspora in Canada, Eli Nodi. Overcoming a distance of 500-600 kilometers to support me and our fellow countryman Vislan Dalkhaev, the guys are coming from Toronto.
What role did Ramzan Kadyrov play in the development of your career? When you were not taken to international competitions As the fans remember, you won the fight in Chechnya, having won the best boxer of the tournament and the audience award.
Of course, it's nice when your people and your republic support you in the most difficult periods of your life. Of course, I remember very well the help that the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, provided to me, an 18-year-old boy. I am grateful to him for that. I do not forget the good that people do to me, and I try to repay in kind. As far as I know, Kadyrov is still following my career, he is ill, worried. I am very pleased with that.
Photo: Dmitry Korotaev / Kommersant
On the last battle against Argentine Esequiel Maderny, your elder brother, Honored Boxing Trainer of Russia Abakar Beterbiev flew in from Russia. Does he still comment on you?
(Smiling) Of course! If a stranger may be ashamed to tell me something, then a brother is not. He is always ready to suggest something, correct, give advice. Despite my 20 years of experience, he still finds errors, points me to them. You can say that my brother had a decisive influence on me in terms of boxing. He brought me to the section, coached me, took care of me. According to him, as a child I was sharp and energetic, so it was necessary to direct me in the right direction. He did it. In general, I am always glad to receive critical remarks in my address, because I do not consider myself to be some kind of superboxer who has no mistakes. I still have a lot to learn and continue to grow in boxing.
Why did you choose boxing?
From an early age, I had a goal - to go to Olympic Games... I got it. I have been involved in this sport for a long time, and now boxing has turned into my job, into a source of income for my family. I don't see myself outside the boxing world yet. My goal now is to win at least one belt. I would like to leave a good memory of myself in the hearts of the fans. But if it so happens that I have to end my career, I have several higher education, so that I can learn something new and successfully realize myself in another area.
You are training in an intense mode, you must constantly maintain high level readiness. Where do you get your strength and motivation?
My main motivation is to learn something new, to become stronger, more powerful, more technical in all aspects of professional boxing. It is important for me to grow and move forward. As tough as the training is, if I have benefited from it, I have great satisfaction from it. After such a workout, I will leave contented, light, joyful and tireless.
How do you recover from fights?
I'm going home to my family. When you fiddle with children, you quickly replenish energy, and fatigue goes away.
You became world champion (2009) and twice European champion (2006, 2010). List the three main qualities that a champion should have?
I would put technique and experience first. On the second - physical strength... On the third - strength of mind.
Do you have a favorite active boxer as well as a boxer of all time?
I can't mark any of the active ones, since there is no time to follow other athletes. And my favorites are Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson. Ali was a legend, he left an indelible mark on the world of sports. I can't even name a second athlete who is comparable in scale to him.
Photo: Radial Press / Ipol / Globallookpress.com
You played as an amateur, now as a professional. What advice would you give to boxers who want to move to the West and become professionals too?
When I was 23-24 I didn't think that I would come to Canada and become a professional boxer. If life turns out this way and they come here, then let them work tirelessly, achieve their goals. Unlike amateur boxing, there is an individual coaching approach to each boxer. Works with you personal coach in general physical fitness, an individual program is created for you. In my opinion, if amateurs had such an approach to each boxer and paid more attention to it, the result would be better. Nevertheless, a lot depends on a person: the more he achieves, the harder he must work. As for adaptation in the West, I have accumulated good experience over these three years. I would not mind using it for a good cause, helping those who come here, including in the establishment of life.
In November, Sergei Kovalev is scheduled to fight against American Andre Ward, who recently switched to light heavyweight. How do you assess Ward's potential?
He good boxer, Olympic champion in the category up to 81 kilograms. Sergei has a difficult fight ahead of him. It will be interesting for me to watch him if this fight takes place, because this is my weight category.
You use Instagram regularly. Does this activity on social media distract you from your main business?
I devote a strictly defined time to this, as if on a stopwatch. I do not constantly sit on social networks, because I have neither the time nor the energy for this. I devote time to social networks, as in our era it is in demand. The fans need it. I would also like to convey truthful and timely information to them.
Your rivals sometimes make hard-hitting statements about you. How do you manage to keep yourself within the framework and not sink to their level?
This is part of the job. I am a normal person, I have never been a chatterbox, I am responsible for the words spoken. Even if I am going to do something, I will not talk about it. What is this chatter for? I'd rather show in the ring what I intend to do with my opponent, and not participate in verbal battles before the fight, letting go of unfounded statements. If I am asked a question, then I answer. And about what will happen, I cannot speak, I have no premonitions and foresight.
Does it often happen that the media ascribe to you any statements that you did not make?
And it happens. This worries me very much. After all, I can say worse than what is attributed to me, but I didn’t say, I don’t say and I will never say it! Therefore, when any word or deed is attributed to me, it is wrong and outrageous.
Legendary boxer Roberto Duran, one of the top 10 of all time, has been in the ring for half a century. How long do you plan to play in the ring? Can you beat Duran's record?
(Smiling) I will probably give in to him and will not aim at his record. I would not want to box for half a century. I enjoy my work, but I won't stay that long.
American journalist Jim Dower talks about the news regarding Russian boxer Artur Beterbiev.
“The IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion (12 (12) -0-0) has been ordered International Federation boxing to defend the title against the holder of the third Federation rating, an American Marcus Brown (21(16)-0-0).
Promotional auctions will take place in the next few days in the event that the managers of Beterbiev and Brown cannot independently agree on a contract for the fight.
It remains unknown whether Brown will agree to fight Beterbiev. The 2012 Olympian from the United States also holds the first rankings by the World Boxing Organization. Brown is vying for a compulsory fight for the WBO Light Heavyweight Championship with Sergey Kovalev.
Brown and his managers must decide how likely he is to beat 34-year-old Kovalev and make money. more money, compared to entering the ring with 33-year-old Beterbiev. It would be more interesting for Kovalev if Brown chose to meet with Beterbiev first, because Brown is more dangerous for him than the second-ranked WBO Anthony Yard.
If Brown agrees to enter the ring with Beterbiev, Yard will move to the first line of the WBO rankings, and Kovalev, with a high probability, will receive another fight with an unequal opponent, like the previous fight with Viacheslav Shabransky.
The Yard doesn’t have the strongest chin and is easy enough to hit. Yard is not ready for a fight with an athlete like Kovalev, and will lose the first rating in the WBO. This organization will not keep Yard at the top if he does not agree to a mandatory fight with Kovalev.
Brown, 27, has looked great in his last three bouts. He won victories over Francie Ntethu(by TKO in the first round), Sean Monaghan(by TKO in the second round) and Thomas Williams(by knockout in the sixth round). Brown appears to have grown significantly after a controversial eight-round decision by an unanimous decision over Radivozh Karadzic in April 2016. In that fight, Brown was knocked down in the sixth round and showered in the last two. Many fans considered Brown's victory over Karadzic to be influenced by his support. hometown, New York... Brown looked more powerful in the last three fights, but they took place with the participation of less powerful opponents than Karadzic.
Brown will likely not have enough preparation time before facing Beterbiev as the fight is scheduled for April. Beterbiev recently signed with Top Rank and they want him to start fighting as soon as possible.
V last time Beterbiev entered the ring in November and defeated Enrico Kelling by knockout in the twelfth round, thus winning the vacant IBF light heavyweight title. The fight took place in Fresno, California. Prior to that, Beterbiev had not received a single fight within 11 months from the date of the knockout against Isidro Prieto in December 2016. Beterbiev had problems with the promoter, as well as an injury that limited his ability to participate in fights. It is hoped that now that he is signed to Thor Rank, they will find a job for him.
He has too much punch, boxing skills and experience in amateur sports for Brown to compete. Brown looks good against people he can deal with quickly, but when he gets hit hard in return, as seen in the Karadzic fight, he loses focus. If Brown does not give up the fight, then in this case it should be considered the clear favorite of Beterbiev and expect him to win by knockout. Brown doesn't have the talent to beat Beterbiev. It's hard to imagine that Brown would agree to fight Beterbiev. Most likely, he will refuse this fight and will claim a fight with Kovalev for the WBO title. Brown hopes to wear out Kovalev, if possible, before the final rounds of the fight.
It is unlikely that Brown would be stupid enough to start a scuffle with Kovalev in the first half of the fight, it would have been crazy on his part. Kovalev hits too hard, and Brown's chin is too fragile. If Brown attacks in the first two rounds, he is likely to be knocked out quickly. Karadzic could have knocked out Brown if their fight had been 12 rounds rather than 8. Brown is very lucky to be limited to 8 rounds. Kovalev has more swipe than Karadzic. His punches will create a lot of problems for Brown if he starts getting them in the early rounds, when Kovalev is still full of strength.
Beterbiev has an obvious boxing talent, but his career is not in very good shape as he had problems finding a fight for him. A duel between him and Kovalev would be a wonderful sight. This is a fight that avid boxing fans will want to watch, if each of the athletes can keep their titles until it is time for a unification fight. ”
From Alexander Kolesnikov
Photo: boxingscene.comRussian Artur Beterbiev will fight on December 23, 2016 against Paraguayan Isidro Ranoni Prieto. The fight will take place in Canada, with the WBA-NABA world title and the vacant WBC Silver light heavyweight title at stake. Recall that Beterbiev's record is 10 victories out of 10, and all of them were achieved with the help of knockouts.
Fight Beterbiev - Prieto will take place on the night from Friday to Saturday, the match will be broadcast live at 4.55 am.
Beterbiev - boxing
Arthur Beterbiev is 31 years old, his nicknames are Wolf and White Puncher. The Chechen boxer is famous for defeating Sergei Kovalev in the semifinals at the 2007 Russian Championship and then winning the title. Also in amateur boxing, Beterbiev has such achievements: the winner of the European Championships in 2006 and 2010, the gold medalist of the 2009 World Cup and the silver medalist of the 2007 World Cup.
Beterbiev is the next opponent
One of the immediate goals of Beterbiev is to enter the championship fight against the American Andre Ward. Arthur's promoter Yvon Michel believes that soon his ward will be able to fight for the champion title in the near future. “On December 26, we will receive a letter from the IBF, which will say that Arthur will take part in the final selection for the right to go to the title fight. This fight is expected to take place in February in the United States. Then we'll bring Arthur to Canada so he can perform on the same night as WBC champion Stevenson in April. And the next fight will be for the champion title, ”Yvon commented in an interview with Boxing Scene.
Will Serey Kovalev come to box with Artur Beterbiev in Grozny
Vadim Tikhomirov, in a column for Match TV, reviews a major comeback for Russian boxing this year.
What now
Beating an opponent in two rounds even in a title fight is not the best difficult task for Sergei Kovalev. Ismail Sillah (3 minutes 52 seconds) and Blake Caparello (4 minutes 47 seconds) kept pace faster than Vyacheslav Shabransky. Sergei Kovalev defeats Shabransky, holds the first fight in New York, closes two defeats from Andre Ward with a victory, and the corps with a WBO championship belt. It is only important not to overestimate this victory. Taking into account all the weaknesses and mistakes of Kovalev, which the boxer himself spoke about, two fights with Ward and the period from November 2016 to June 2017 turned out to be nightmarish. Sergei Kovalev lost two fights, which, whether he wants it or not, are still considered the main ones in his life, and lost them as painfully as possible. Having left incompetent judges in amateur boxing, Kovalev again came to them as professionals. And to the thoughts that he spent seven years of his career and returned to the same place again: you give up the ending of the fight, and you are condemned. This was the case in the first fight with Andre Ward, and only because of this the second happened, where everything got even worse. Ward is not available for revenge: he retired and (he did not say this, but we understand) will return when Kovalev or one of his competitors will collect four belts and become a valuable and appreciated opponent again.
And now, no matter how well we talk about Vyacheslav Shabransky, we must understand that the fight with him is the only and necessary action for the return of Kovalev. No less, but no more. Talking about how much better Sergei began to box is as untimely as evaluating the gait of two people who went towards each other after a long feud. That is, this is not the main thing at all.
To argue how much Kovalev has improved is strange. Sergei heard the name of the opponent two months before the fight, worked with the new coach for a month and spent less than six minutes in the ring. It seems that in each case there is little time for changes and for showing them. Nothing new happened in the battle, and it was hard not to know that Sergey was hitting hard and accurately. Vyacheslav Shabransky had not yet completely sank to the floor after the third knockdown, and in his head there were already thoughts, "how this Sergey Kovalev will box against someone more serious." Evaluating Kovalev after all that has been experienced for this one battle is like evaluating a straight line with only one point. Moreover, all the main problems of the Russian did not happen in battle, but.
What will happen next
On Twitter, HBO instantly posted a vote “Who would you like to see Kovalev's next fight with”. Arthur Beterbiev won with a small margin over Dmitry Bivol. V weight category Sergey's belts are now distributed as follows: WBO - for Kovalev, WBA - for Dmitry Bivol, WBC - for Adonis Stevenson, IBF - for Artur Beterbiev. This attracts a micro-tournament with a lot of pair options. Kovalev and Bivol do not hide the fact that they are ready to box with each other and will be able to find money for this fight both in the USA (both boxers work with the HBO channel) and in Yekaterinburg (both boxers are of interest to the promotion company owned by the Russian Copper Group).
The conflict between Kovalev and Beterbiev, which began in amateurs, suddenly turned out to be so loud that even in the USA they learned about the Russian championship in Yakutsk (according to the version, Kovalev was condemned there in a fight with Beterbiev). And this is the brightest Russian-language opposition of all that you can think of.
BOXING: Fight for the WBA-NABA title and the vacant WBO-Silver light heavyweight title.
Venue: Gatineau, Canada.
Start: 05:00 (Moscow time).
For Artur Beterbiev, the boxing year is not yet over, and the Russian puncher will have another fight against the Paraguayan Isidro Prieto, who can bring him as close as possible to title fight... Beterbiev's rival is little known in boxing circles and has an original record with three draws, which few people succeed in professional boxing... But this is a light heavyweight, and Arthur will have to try hard to prove himself in front of the Canadian public.
Arthur Beterbiev (Russia)
Record:10 fights - 10 wins (10 knockouts);
Age:31 year;
Height:182 cm;
The weight:81 kg;
Hand span: 185 cm.
Isidro Prieto (Paraguay)
Record:30 fights - 26 wins (22 KOs) - 1 defeat - 3 draws;
Age:30 years;
Height:184 cm;
The weight:81 kg;
Hand span:188 cm.
Recent fights
Arthur Beterbiev has a rich amateur career, but as a professional, Russian light heavyweight develops at a very slow pace, although he is one of best fighters their weight category. If you look at the opposition of Beterbiev, then it does not cause delight, but from defeated rivals it is worth highlighting only guys like Tavoris Cloud, Gabriel Campiglio and Ezekiel Osvaldo. But all of them also do not belong to the category of leaders in their weight category.
Prieto has a good position in the WBO rankings, where he is in seventh place. In other versions of the boxing world, the Paraguayan is little quoted. The most famous fight for Prieto was a duel with Eleider Alvarez, in which the Paraguayan lost for the first time in the pro ring, but showed good skills in the fight against one of the most promising light heavyweight fighters.
Fighting style
Both fighters are great punchers and have a significant early win rate. Prieto is famous for his resilience and ability to add in the second half of the fight, when his rivals are already exhausted. Beterbiev is known for his brutality and 100% early victories in the professional rank.
Forecast for the battle.
Here you can easily bet on Beterbiev, given the class of the Russian puncher, but his opponent is not easy, and the odds for such an outcome are negligible. But to bet on the fact that the fight will drag on until the later rounds looks very profitable option.
Bid: Total over (6.5) - kf 2.00.