On Wednesday, Artur Beterbiev flew to Moscow after a victorious fight with Briton Anthony Yarde. Last Saturday, the Russian boxer defeated mandatory challenger WBO Yard by eighth-round TKO and defended his WBC, IBF, WBO light heavyweight championship belts. Beterbiev picked up the 19th early victory in 19 fights in the professional ring.
Immediately after his arrival, Beterbiev gave a long interview in which he said:
– why at the beginning of the fight he did not want to hit strong Yard;
– on the atmosphere at Wembley;
– when he can call himself a good boxer;
– will he change his mind about Tyson Fury, who disagreed that Arthur is the world’s leading puncher;
– will he be upset if his meeting with fellow WBA champion Dmitry Bivol never takes place;
– is he interested in meeting Sergey Kovalev in the first heavyweight;
– does he follow MMA and is he aware of Islam Makhachev’s next fight in the UFC;
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“THE FIGHT HAS NOT YET BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT OF A CAREER”
“Arthur, where are your belts?” Or did you not take them to London?
– Yes, so that they wouldn’t take them from me, so I didn’t take them (smiles) … I drove them, of course. They are in my bag. All three are there (in the bag).
Yard fought according to the scorecards, but as usual you don’t wait for the scorecards. Did you have enough physical strength to cover the entire distance? You finished the fight in the 8th round.
“The fight went the way it did. There were times that didn’t work out and did work. I myself felt that I was waking up, or something, I was speeding up. That is to say, I increased the pace, it seems to me. We’re still going to sit down with the team, discuss the fight.
What are your plans after your return? It’s clear you need to rest, but there’s news that you can once again have a Brit as your rival.
– I don’t know, I was on the road (smiling). I don’t know this fight. Plan to take a break. I had a well-deserved break.
– There was information that Yard seemed to say that you were whispering in his ear that this was the hardest fight for you.
– It seemed to him. I did not say that. I thanked him for giving a good fight. What can I tell her? I can’t say, “You’re a bag, you go further.” He said he gave a good fight, well done. Everyone.
– What is your most difficult fight in your career?
Until he left, I think.
“TYSON FURY IS A HEAVY WEIGHT, IT MISSES HEAVY HITS, IT’S…”
– You say regularly in the interviews that you want to become a good boxer. When we say in front of such an influx of journalists that Artur Beterbiev is a good boxer.
– When I will become, then I will say, probably. Not yet (smiling).
How will you know that you have become a good boxer?
– I do not know. I think I know.
– According to certain criteria, perhaps?
– Sure. I don’t think having three titles means you’re a good boxer. I think I need to learn a lot in boxing, improve something in technique, in physical form.
– 19 fights – 19 victories by KO. What record would you like to achieve?
– I was lucky.
” We do not think so.
– It seems to me (smiling).
– When Tyson Fury learned that you were the main puncher on earth, he replied: “What do you mean? What about me?!”.
– I met Fury in 2013, when I came to Canada. We sat down, and then he struck me as a simple, good guy. Now I’ll probably change my mind about him (smile). He can talk about whatever he wants. Besides, a heavyweight boxer misses heavy punches…
Where would you like to have your next defense?
– To be honest, there are no fundamental points. where it is right.
— London, the Yard, his native audience. What are your feelings ?
– In London itself, it was interesting then, calmly. In a quiet area were walking, training. It was the day of the fight which seemed to me tense at the level of the judges, the round trips.
– Pre-fight training when packing. Not nervous, but maybe something special was?
“There was no such thing.
“I WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED IF THE MEETING WITH BIVOL DOES NOT TAKE PLACE”
– Estimate the probability that your fight with Bivol fails?
“It’s no problem to fight if he wants to.
– And if this fight does not take place, will you be offended?
No, why should I get upset? I earned what I could. If it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be. What to do.
– What is your relationship with Bivol? You were part of the team together.
– He’s younger. In 2012 I competed at 91kg, and the guys didn’t put less on me. How can I train with someone who competes at 81 or 75 kg? Dima is a good guy, he did well. Won the belt. What can I say… I only have a sporting interest.
“Bivol said there was no need to challenge each other to fight.
– I say, “Let’s do this fight.” And so there’s no point in challenging each other, when one wants it, and the other doesn’t. He probably knows more.
– His trainer Gennady Mashyanov, on the eve of your fight, told how you fought with Eduard Yakushev and there was an unpleasant moment when you threw your opponent on your thigh. Can you tell me what happened there?
“He only talked about the hip throw, right? And he didn’t talk about how he (Yakushev) beat me after the “stop” command? You didn’t talk about it?
– Not.
“Let him say it again then, and then I’ll tell you.” After the “stop” command, you can’t beat?
– It’s forbidden.
– Here he beat me after the “stop”. I warned him several times – do not knock after the “stop”. In other words, the round is over and you are still working on it.
“I DIDN’T SURPRISE THE YARD STAYED LONG – I DIDN’T BEAT IT HARD”
– Did you feel any hostility towards yourself in the UK?
“Honestly, I didn’t feel it. Yeah, the room was buzzing, they just cheered it on. When I had a fight in New York with Joe Smith, that’s when the room was buzzing. I think that there were obscene things. That’s where it was a little uncomfortable.
– The knockout took place in relative silence.
– How did he manage, the room was buzzing. And like me – silence. In silence, the duel ended. I saw this fight once again. There are things that even during the fight I felt didn’t work out. And looking, I saw it. I don’t want to say I’m some kind of cool, but I was going to this one shot (after which it all ended). Finally fired and hit.
“You weren’t surprised that after many attacks, Yard got up and didn’t fall?”
– Not surprised. I didn’t hit him hard.
– And why?
– It had to be done slowly. After all, the public came to see it.
When do you plan to return to the ring?
– Now Ramadan is early, I don’t play, I don’t train. After Ramadan, it takes about two months. To be honest, I can’t answer this question.
– Who are you interested in as an opponent, if not Bivol?
– I would not like to have the next fight in England. We have to change – only to change. I would like a different place.
– And when you hear names like Callum Smith, Joshua Buatsi, who top the ratings…
To be honest, I’ve never seen them. I didn’t watch their fights. I am not a boxing fan. When I sign a contract, I start preparing for the fights.
“I DON’T WATCH MMA”
– What sport are you a fan of?
– Not yet (Laughs).
– You don’t watch MMA?
– No, I’m not watching.
– UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev wished you luck ahead of your fight. Now Islam has an important fight in the UFC (Alex Volkanovski’s name has not been called).
– I wish him good luck!
– Do you know the fight of Makhachev?
– Not. Understand… When you have your own porridge, and then in parallel to monitor other things… I can’t do that.
Yusuf Raisov also wished you good luck. You probably know Khamzat Chimaev. Did you train together?
– Not yet.
“I DON’T CARE IF I GET RECOGNIZED AS THE BEST BOXER OF THE YEAR”
– When you went to battle, were you 100% sure of your victory?
– Of course not. Am I Muhammad Ali or what? It was Muhammad Ali who could tell in which round the fight would end. And I’m a regular boxer.
– Not everyone can boast of the statistics of the first 19 wins in 19 fights.
– I’m lucky.
Do you plan to become the first heavyweight?
– It would be interesting to fight for the title.
– Now Sergey Kovalev plays in this division, but he does not have a belt yet. Would you be interested in a duel with him?
– Even then I was interested in the title (Beterbiev won the IBF belt in November 2017, Kovalev became the WBO champion a few weeks later). I have a purely sporting interest.
– Which cruiserweight champion would you like to meet?
To be honest, I don’t know the names of the champions. Need to see.
– Is it really possible to go down to the second middleweight?
Why is this unrealistic? Do not eat for three days. But you don’t just have to go down, you also have to box.
– Where would you place yourself in the list of the best Russian professional boxers in history?
– If I’m already on the list, then it’s already good.
– Are the awards of the best boxer of the year according to certain versions important for you?
“I don’t care that much. The main thing is to win fights.
Watch live broadcasts of boxing evenings at tournaments in 2023 on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
