By: Hans Themistode
There is a long list of violent fighters in the sport of boxing. But even with the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and Gervonta Davis at the forefront, none of these names have managed to make it to the knockout stages in each of their ring appearances. However, Artur Beterbiev, the current WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion runner, was able to stop every opponent he faced in their tracks.
The hardcore Russian-born once again showed his formidable power last weekend against highly ranked opponent Marcus Browne. The two squared off in Beterbiev’s adopted hometown of Montreal, Canada, in the Bell Center.
Early on, Americans boxed well on the outside. He refused to participate in a lengthy slugfest. Instead, he crates and moves and ties his men as needed. However, despite performing well in the early games, Beterbiev eventually found his rhythm again. The 36-year-old beat the former 175-pound interim title before stopping him in the ninth round.
With the victory, Beterbiev brilliantly overcame all his opponents before the final sounded. However, despite proving that referees are not critical to his success, former cruiser heavyweight Tony Bellew believes he has seen some red flags.
After Beterbiev’s win, whispers of a possible future showdown with undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez grew louder. If Alvarez did find himself facing the Russian monster, then Beterbiev would be considered the strongest opponent he has ever faced.
Despite those claims, Bellew believes their match will be over before the final bell rings. This time, however, Bellew was confident that Beterbiev would be the one staring at the ceiling lamp.
“I think Canelo will stop Beterbiev,” Bellew told DAZN Boxing. “I’ve seen the warning signs there, I’ve seen shots he could have hurt.”
Alvarez, 31, is no stranger to dealing with larger men. Before packing every 168-pound world title around his waist, Alvarez moved up to the 175-pound weight limit in November 2019. The Mexican star will go on to win the fourth-place world championship first. Sergey Kovalev, stop him in the penultimate round. .
Next up is a star in proportion to a pound seems like a date with fate. Following his 11th round win over Caleb Plant this past November, the Mexican-born has set his sights on moving even higher than the 175-pound weight limit to hit the winner’s match between Ilunga Makabu and Thabiso Mchunu. for the cruiser crown. If Alvarez succeeds, he will become the first Mexican-born fighter to win a world championship in five separate weight classes.
If Alvarez does decide to face Beterbiev, Bellew believes the punching prowess of the Mexican stars will be more than enough to carry him to victory.
“It went against Sergey Kovalev,” Bellew said as he dived into the power of Alvarez’s punch. “If it happens to Kovalev then I think it will happen to Beterbiev but like I said, style makes the fights.”
