By Oscar Pick
ARTUR Beterbiev – a stoic wrecking machine who, in any media environment, offers very little by way of speaking – remains one of boxing’s most enigmatic characters.
The 39-year-old has cemented his status as an elite pound-for-pound operator and yet, somehow, very few people have been privy to his story.
In truth, whenever he is placed in front of a camera, the Russian’s menacing aura is immediately felt but, at the same time, you get a sense that he is concealing several layers of his obscure, yet nonetheless intriguing, personality.
And so, it has almost become comical when Beterbiev – wearing a child-like smirk across his face – seemingly takes great pleasure in providing one-word answers to more or less every uninspiring interview question.
But while it would be nice to know a little more about the pulverising puncher – as in, what he likes to eat, his favourite movies, how he is able to perform circus tricks with a 20kg barbell – there is, equally, something to be said for the things that are left to one’s imagination.
Afterall, it is not difficult to imagine what it would’ve been like going to school with Beterbiev: a child who no doubt hit puberty at a remarkably young age and was therefore able to throw a javelin the furthest, run 100m the quickest and, when removing his shirt, appear as if he had been carved out of stone by Michelangelo. We’ve all been to school with a Beterbiev, surely.
But aside from the rare insights into his character, where we see glimpses that he does, in fact, possess a rather refreshing sense of humour, it is ultimately difficult to gauge what the unified light heavyweight champion is truly like outside of the ring.
What we do know with a greater degree of certainty, however, is that, in boxing, there are perhaps none more formidable at this moment in time.
Artur Beterbiev’s story so far
Before amassing a flawless record of 20 wins with 20 stoppages, Beterbiev concluded his scintillating amateur career with brief appearance at the London Olympics in 2012, losing, by no means shamefully, to Oleksandr Usyk, after which the Ukrainian resumed his terrific surge to claim gold.
As a professional, though, it is fair to say that – by landing his thudding blows with 10oz gloves – Beterbiev was swiftly beginning to cultivate a more fearsome reputation and, soon enough, earned the opportunity to seize a world title in only his 12th contest.
And then, after he was taken into the 12th round for the first and only time by Enrico Koelling, the newly-crowned IBF king showcased his skills to a predominantly British audience against Callum Johnson; only, instead cruising through what was supposed to be a routine title defence, Beterbiev was, rather astonishingly, forced onto the backfoot by the Brit, who picked himself up off the canvas early doors before dropping his vastly experienced opponent in the following round.
This, of course, was the knockout artist’s first exposure to real vulnerability. And while he eventually scored an emphatic fourth-round stoppage over Johnson, Beterbiev still needed to prove that he belonged at world level.
A seasoned dance partner then arrived in the form of WBC titlist Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who, following a tragic end to his pulsating war with Adonis Stevenson, had made a name for himself as a highly-skilled, spiteful technician at 175 lbs.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
And indeed, the Ukrainian provided his former amateur rival with an unsurprisingly stern test, before Beterbiev – utilising his underrated footwork – marched his man down to force a brutal 10th-round stoppage.
Soon after, the unified champ methodically dismantled southpaw slickster Marcus Browne in a torrid bloodbath and was compelled to display his tremendous resolve by fighting through a gruesome cut.
The sturdy bruiser then reminded fans of his ruthless nature in the heat of battle, walking an aggressive Joe Smith Jr onto a bone-shuddering right hook before decisively halting proceedings in the second round.
And by adding the WBO strap to his collection, Beterbiev had not only consolidated his reputation as an immovable force but was, and still is, on course to place his name alongside an elite crop of light-heavyweight greats.
One could argue, too, that the prolific knockout artist – based on his comprehensive outings against Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith – is not on the decline but, rather, still has plenty of scope to improve while prolonging the twilight years of his career.
In that sense, it is incredible to think that, no matter how many injuries he sustains, and regardless of what miles are on the clock, Beterbiev always seems to come back stronger; the capacity to falter is, quite simply, not within him.
Having said that, Dmitry Bivol is perhaps best equipped to end his countryman’s decorated reign, hoping to prove that Father Time is, as the old saying goes, undefeated.
