In this corner with Russ Anber: Return of Beterbiev
Master of all boxing Russ Anber surveys the light-heavyweight scene before working at the Artur Beterbiev corner this weekend…
The light-heavy scene is quite interesting right now. And my man Artur Beterbiev is right there for a potential superfight.
The biggest fight out there – of course – will be the one between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who recently defeated Canelo. It’s a pity that this war – if it happens – will not be able to take place where it should be – specifically in Russia. When will a war of this magnitude happen again between two undefeated Russians? Just imagine what a big event could be in their hometown.
A lot of people have asked me what I have done about Bivol’s performance against Canelo, so move on. For me, it’s a perfect Bivol textbook display. He did everything he was supposed to do and did it wonderfully.
Having said that, as excellent as Bivol and as he has been, I think Canelo entered the fight for underestimating Bivol significantly. I think Canelo feels it because Bivol is a carefully chosen opponent – he can choose anyone else who remembers but went looking for Bivol – he won’t be able to beat him.
I think Canelo thought that Bivol would be overwhelmed by the experience of fighting in such a big battle. I also think Canelo saw that Bivol was hurt against Joe Smith Jr. Honestly, I also think Canelo has begun to believe his own press releases and probably spends more time on the golf course than in the gym. And gold and boxing don’t go well together. A gold ring takes too long, you spent too much time in the sun.
On the other hand, Bivol prepared as if he were going to fight King Kong. He did everything right and everything right. Tactically, technically, physically and mentally he got it right. And thank God, Bivol finally decided on the cards because the score after the first four rounds was an absolute abomination.
And don’t forget that if Canelo wins in the final round then the fight will be a draw. I don’t know why not much has been done specifically by the committee about holding three judges accountable for their horrible scorecards. Instead, everyone seemed to just shrug and say, ‘Well, the right person won’, instead of focusing on the fact that we’ve escaped serious injustice. That is the wrong response.
Of course, if we want to see Beterbiev fight Bivol, then Artur must first pass Joe Smith Jr this Saturday at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York. For me, this is a fight that absolutely warrants fireworks. I mean, even if the fight only lasted two minutes, it would be hell for two minutes!
I can’t see any way that this fight isn’t a really interesting one. Betterbiev loves to fight and both of them will shoot for all they deserve. Camp Smith would tell himself that Artur was very vulnerable and try to find his way to an opening so they could land that massive right arm. Beterbiev will have to make sure he breaks Smith in a similar way to how he broke Marcus Browne. It can also be a war of attrition and it is certainly a dangerous one for Artur.
However, Marc Ramsay, the coach of Beterbiev, who I will be working with in the corner on Saturday, spoke best when I spoke to him the day before. I asked him how he felt about the fight and he said, “It was not an easy fight. It was a very dangerous fight but if I had a choice in any corner I would pick my guy everytime! ”
I understand why he said that because Beterbiev is a great fighter. If he plays against Bivol it will be an interesting match. Bivol is the more technically sophisticated boxer – he’s a much more skilled, learned tactician. He is very basic at what he does but very basic at a high level! His reaction was amazing.
But can Bivol ease the pressure that Beterbiev brings? Will he be able to dodge Beterbiev’s power for 12 innings?
That’s the question and I definitely can’t wait to see what the answer is!
Russ Anber chatted with Luke Williams.