By: Hans Themistode
There was a look of determination etched on Marcus Browne’s face. The 31-year-old light-heavyweight contender knows and knows well that he’s a much weaker underdog going into the match against unified prestige player Artur Beterbiev but he refuses to trust the betting public. When their competition started, however, Betterbiev beat him.
Browne tries to quiet the crowd at the Bell Center in Montreal. He boxed on the outside in the opening round and repeatedly stuck his square into Beterbiev’s face. After dominating the first two innings, the unity celebrater managed to find his rhythm again in the third inning. He actively moved forward but found himself at the end of some difficult shots.
At the beginning of the fourth season, Betterbiev once again tries to navigate his way inward. Browne, however, waited until his men approached, then quickly rushed in to tie him up. During this process, the two clashed. While Browne will suffer a slight wound to the corner of his right eye, a serious wound has opened up in the center of Beterbiev’s forehead.
When the blood began to flow down, Browne immediately took advantage. He tags Beterbiev with leverage and stinging rights while jumping around his impending assault attack.
Fearing the referee stopped due to his bad cut, Beterbiev found his touch in the sixth inning. He pushed Browne against the rope and began pounding hard on the body. When Browne began to wilt, he was saved by the ringing of the bell. However, he won’t get the same payoff in the next round.
In the seventh season, Betterbiev continues exactly where he left off. He made Browne lean against the rope, before using a powerful right hand to his body. When Browne felt the blow, he immediately backed away in pain while putting his hands down to try to protect his body. His defensive strategy, however, was one that Beterbiev had hoped for, as he dropped Browne into the frame with his left hand. In the end, Browne not only got up, but also fought to get out of trouble in the 1/8 round.
The former WBA interim titleholder went head-to-head with Beterbiev during this period and attempted to do so again in the ninth game. But while he found moments of success in season eight, season nine saw him crumble under the power of Beterbiev.
After clearly injuring Browne in season nine, Beterbiev began slamming his body hard, forcing Browne to his knees. Referee Michael Griffin immediately began counting ten. And while Browne looked straight at Griffin while trying to take a deep breath, he allowed him to reach a score of ten before walking away disheartened when his world title dream came to an abrupt end. .
