“Kadyrov is still watching my career. “Kadyrov is still watching my career. What will happen next?

31-year-old Russian light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev is a potential contender for the world boxing crown of compatriot Sergey Kovalev, who this week defended his WBO, WBA and IBF world titles in a fight against Malawian Isaac Chilemba. After undergoing shoulder surgery, the Russian triumphantly returned to the ring, defeating Argentinean Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna. In early June, this fight ended in a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now Beterbiev has 10 knockout victories out of 10 possible in the professional ring. In the near future, the athlete is counting on a fight for the world title, but for now, in an exclusive interview with Lenta.ru, he spoke about his formation, the help of his brother and Ramzan Kadyrov, his family, childhood idols and plans for the future.

“Lenta.ru”: Arthur, you recently returned to the ring after almost a year-long break due to injury. Some experts say the break may be good for you. Do you agree with this assessment?

Beterbiev: A long break between fights is usually not beneficial. However, it just so happened, and, as they say, no matter what is done, everything is for the better. So it was better for me. The most important thing is that I'm back. And now it’s no worse than it was before. My well-being, mood, desire to win - all this not only did not decrease, but, on the contrary, increased.

How many fights are you planning to have this year? Your promoter Yvon Michel announced the fight at the end of September.

It’s better to address this question to the promoter, because even my opponent for the September fight is still unknown. For me, the more there are, the better. I missed a whole year, so I would like to make up for lost time.

Rumor has it that many boxers simply refuse to get into the ring after learning that they have to fight you. Is the problem of finding rivals really that serious?

The promoter constantly informs me about this, because he is the one who organizes the fights. I don’t pay much attention to this, since each person has his own path. If someone refuses, it means that he believes that it is inappropriate for him to intersect with me at the moment. Moreover, they may have some other plans. I don't dwell on this.

Arthur, you have two Olympics behind you. Due to the decision of the professional boxing associations, which banned their athletes from going to Rio, unfortunately, you will not be able to take part in the third.

I really wanted to compete at the Olympics, to take advantage of my chance. At the same time, as far as I can judge from personal Olympic experience, participation in the Games is a lottery in which it is impossible to guess who will become the champion. But I can’t say that I was very upset. Back in 2013, when I moved from amateur to professional, I was ready for such a development. To be honest, I already said goodbye to the Olympic dream.

It seemed that your promoter was the least interested in this story, since an unsuccessful performance at the Games could result in image and marketing losses for his organization.

He knows better, since he understands this business better than me. He simply asked me: “Do you want to participate in the Olympics?” I agreed. And the questions that arose later did not interest me much.

Arthur, what is your normal weight between fights and how heavy do you go before a fight?

I boxed in the category up to 81 kilograms, then moved to the 91 category. By the way, many people think that this was my mistake, but I don’t regret it. Before the fight, I easily bring my weight down to 79.4 to fit into my weight class, and I feel comfortable. As for my usual training weight, it's 85-86.

You have had ten fights in your career. All of them ended in early victory. Tell us about the hardest one.

The hardest part was the preparation for the fights, but the fights themselves were easier. As they rightly say, hard in training, easy in battle. The hardest thing was to prepare psychologically for 12-round fights. However, the fights themselves were easy and ended quickly.

What does your preparation for battle consist of?

First of all, this is the “rough” work: physics, gaining power, strength. Then comes the lead up to the fight: sparring, weight loss. And, of course, there is always psychological work. For example, I include sparring as such. When three or four partners change every round, this is a psychological barrier that must be overcome. At first you feel a psychological heaviness from them, but it quickly passes.

Nine out of ten fights you fought in Canada, one in the USA. If you get the opportunity, would you like to enter the ring in Russia?

Of course, I really want to perform in front of my Russian fans. I really want to fight in Grozny. But Moscow is also a great option.

How important is patriotism to you? After all, in essence, you live, train and work in a foreign land.

My homeland is a part of me; it cannot be taken away. I am pleased when my compatriots root for me, when my fellow countrymen worry and pray for me. This is a great support for me.

How does your family feel about your professional career?

My biggest fan is my mother. She is very worried about me, because of this she cannot attend my fights - her blood pressure immediately rises. Although, unlike amateur boxing, professionals strongly encourage the presence of loved ones in the gym.

Does your mother discourage you from continuing your career?

She understands perfectly well that I didn’t start boxing yesterday, and she realizes that it would be wrong to ask me to quit boxing. On the other hand, you don’t need to do it for the rest of your life either. I know that my family will always be there - both now and after my career ends.

How does your wife feel about your work?

She's not very happy that I make my living as a professional boxer. She is also very worried and worried.

Nevertheless, she came to your recent fight with her son. You probably need to find the strength to come to your husband’s fight...

(Smiling) Well, she is still young, so she finds strength.

What kind of support does the Chechen diaspora in Canada provide you with?

Huge. I would especially like to mention the chairman of the Chechen diaspora in Canada, Eli Nodi. Overcoming a distance of 500-600 kilometers to support me and our fellow countryman Vislan Dalkhaev, the guys travel from Toronto.

What role did Ramzan Kadyrov play in the development of your career? When you were not taken to international competitions, as fans remember, you won a fight in Chechnya, winning the prize for the best boxer of the tournament and the audience award.

Of course, it’s nice when your people and your republic support you in the most difficult periods of your life. Of course, I remember very well the help that the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, provided to me, an 18-year-old boy. I am grateful to him for this. I do not forget the kindness that people do to me, and I try to repay the same. As far as I know, Kadyrov is still following my career, he’s sick, he’s worried. I'm very pleased with this.

Photo: Dmitry Korotaev / Kommersant

Your older brother, Honored Boxing Trainer of Russia Abakar Beterbiev, flew in from Russia for the last fight against Argentinean Ezequiel Maderna. Does he still make comments to you?

(Smiling) Certainly! If a stranger may be embarrassed to say something to me, then my brother is not. He is always ready to suggest something, correct something, give advice. Despite my 20 years of experience, he still finds errors and points them out to me. You could say my brother had a decisive influence on me in terms of boxing. He brought me to the section, trained me, looked after me. According to him, even as a child I was sharp and energetic, so it was necessary to guide me in the right direction. He did it. In general, I always welcome criticism addressed to me, because I do not consider myself some kind of super boxer who has no mistakes. I still have a lot to learn and continue to grow in boxing.

Why did you choose boxing?

From an early age I had a goal - to go to the Olympic Games. I achieved it. I have been involved in this sport for a long time, and now boxing has become my job, a source of income for my family. I don’t see myself outside the world of boxing yet. My goal now is to win at least one belt. I would like to leave a good memory of myself in the hearts of my fans. But if it turns out that I have to end my career, I have several higher educations, so I can learn something new and successfully realize myself in another field.

You are training intensely and must constantly maintain a high level of readiness. Where do you get your strength and motivation?

My main motivation is to learn something new, to become stronger, more powerful, more technical in all aspects of professional boxing. It's important for me to grow and move forward. No matter how hard the training is, if I get something out of it, I feel great satisfaction from it. After such a workout, I will leave satisfied, light, joyful and not tired.

How do you recover after fights?

I'm going home to my family. When you are busy with children, you quickly replenish your energy and fatigue goes away.

You became world champion (2009) and twice European champion (2006, 2010). List the three main qualities that a champion should have?

I would put technique and experience first. Secondly, physical strength. Thirdly, strength of spirit.

Do you have a favorite current or all-time boxer?

I can’t mention anyone who is active, since I don’t have time to follow other athletes. My favorites are Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Ali was a legend who left an indelible mark on the world of sports. I can’t even name a second athlete who can compare in scale with him.

Photo: Radial Press / Ipol / Globallookpress.com

You performed as amateurs, now as professionals. What advice would you give to boxers who want to move to the West and become professionals too?

When I was 23-24, I didn't think I would come to Canada and become a professional boxer. If life turns out this way and they come here, then let them work tirelessly and achieve their goals. Unlike amateur boxing, here each boxer receives an individual coaching approach. A personal trainer for general physical training works with you, and an individual program is created for you. In my opinion, if amateurs had such an approach to each boxer and paid more attention to him, the result would be better. Nevertheless, a lot depends on the person: the more he achieves, the harder he must work. As for adaptation in the West, I have gained good experience over these three years. I wouldn’t mind using it for a good cause, helping those who come here, including in improving their everyday life.

In November, Sergey Kovalev is scheduled to fight against American Andre Ward, who recently moved up to light heavyweight. How do you assess Ward's potential?

He is a good boxer, an Olympic champion in the up to 81 kilogram category. Sergei faces a difficult fight. It will be interesting for me to watch him if this fight takes place, because this is my weight category.

You use Instagram regularly. Doesn’t such activity on social networks distract from the main task?

I devote a strictly defined amount of time to this, like using a stopwatch. I don’t constantly sit on social networks because I don’t have the time or energy for it. I devote time to social networks, because in our era it is in demand. The fans need this. I also want to convey to them truthful and prompt information.

Your rivals sometimes make unflattering statements about you. How do you manage to keep yourself within limits and not stoop to their level?

It's part of the job. I’m a normal person, I’ve never been a talker, I’m responsible for the words spoken. Even if I'm going to do something, I won't talk about it. Why all this chatter? I’d rather show in the ring what I intend to do to my opponent, rather than participate in verbal battles before the fight, making unfounded statements. If they ask me a question, I answer. But I can’t talk about what will happen, I have no premonitions or foresight.

Does it often happen that the media attribute to you any statements that you did not make?

And this happens. This worries me a lot. I can say something worse than what is attributed to me, but I didn’t say it, I don’t say it and I will never say it! Therefore, when any word or deed is attributed to me, it is wrong and outrageous.

Legendary boxer Roberto Duran, one of the top 10 of all time, has been in the ring for half a century. How long do you plan to compete in the ring? Maybe you can beat Durant's record?

(Smiles) I'll probably give in to him and won't challenge his record. I wouldn't want to box for half a century. I enjoy my work, but I won’t stay for such a long time.

BOXING: Fight for the WBA-NABA champion title and the vacant WBO-Silver light heavyweight title.

Venue: Gatineau, Canada.

Start: 05:00 (Moscow time).

For Artur Beterbiev, the boxing year is not yet over, and the Russian puncher has one more fight ahead of him against Paraguayan Isidro Prieto, which could bring him as close as possible to a title fight. Beterbiev's opponent is little known in boxing circles and has an original record with three draws, which few people achieve in professional boxing. But this is light heavyweight, and Arthur will have to work hard to prove himself to the Canadian public.

Artur Beterbiev (Russia)

Record:10 fights - 10 wins (10 knockouts);

Age:31 year;

Height:182 cm;

Weight:81 kg;

Arm span: 185 cm.

Isidro Prieto (Paraguay)

Record:30 fights - 26 wins (22 knockouts) - 1 loss - 3 draws;

Age:30 years;

Height:184 cm;

Weight:81 kg;

Arm span:188 cm.

Last fights

Artur Beterbiev has a rich amateur career, but as a professional, the Russian light heavyweight is developing at a very slow pace, although he is among the best fighters in his weight category. If you look at Beterbiev’s opposition, it does not cause delight, and among the defeated rivals it is worth highlighting only such guys as Tavoris Cloud, Gabriel Campillo and Ezequiel Osvaldo. But all of them also do not belong to the category of leaders in their weight category.

Prieto has a good position in the WBO rankings, where he is in seventh place. In other versions of the boxing world, the Paraguayan is little rated. The most famous fight for Prieto was the fight with Eleider Alvarez, in which the Paraguayan lost for the first time in the pro ring, but showed good skills in the fight against one of the most promising light heavyweight fighters.

Fighting style

Both boxers are excellent punchers and have a significant percentage of early victories. Prieto is renowned for his durability and ability to add strength in the second half of a fight when his opponents are already exhausted. Beterbiev is known for his brutality and 100% early victories as a professional.

Forecast for the fight.

Here you can easily bet on Beterbiev, given the class of the Russian puncher, but his opponent is not easy, and the odds for such an outcome are negligible. But betting that the fight will drag on until the later rounds looks like a very profitable option.

Bid: Total over (6.5) - odds 2.00.

Knocked out a German in the 12th round Enrico Kellinga and won the vacant IBF world light heavyweight title.

Expectations were high. Perhaps even too much - Beterbiev, with his previous performances, set such a bar that this fight was not called anything other than the execution of Kelling. Actually, what chances did Enrico have against one of the toughest boxers in the division, a world champion in amateurs and a participant in two Olympics, who in 11 professional fights only once allowed his opponent to survive until the 7th round... Opponents always fell, more often than not completely passed out , face down, as if they were struck by lightning, and an electric current passed through the body, turning off all the nerve centers. Why not execution?..

ELECTRICITY

By the 12th round there was still no lightning. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, dry peals, and the audience began to feel sad. Beterbiev hit the block, hit the head, planted a right punch somewhere under Kelling’s ribs, but he still stood, shifted, sometimes threw himself head first, at times even lulled his opponent’s vigilance and attacked in the most adventurous way, for which he was never punished.

Statistics for the 10th round showed that Kelling landed 59 punches, most of which Artur Beterbiev did not notice. True, and his victims

247 blows were not much like what the audience was expecting. But, in the end, strange things happen, some even manage to survive the execution of a death sentence. Once in 1946, a certain Willie Francis was executed in Louisiana so unsuccessfully that he then had to repeat the whole process a year later - it turned out that the jailer and the prisoner helping him were drunk and connected the electric chair incorrectly.

So here, it seemed, not everything was in order with the connection. Arthur could not “ground” Kelling in any way.

He had his own reasons for not being in the best shape in this fight. He has not fought for almost a year, the title fight has been postponed several times over the past 6-7 months, and Beterbiev himself has been trying to terminate the contract with his promoter Ivon Michel all this time. At the same time, they did not hate each other; Michel, apparently, paid his fees, albeit with a delay, and could not organize big fights. In general, Arthur himself, when concluding a contract with him, probably considered performing in Canada as a kind of intermediate stage of his career, but at some point it developed extremely rapidly.

Lawyers and the court will soon determine whether the Russian boxer owes another fight under his contract to his promoter, but for now Michel did not interfere with Arthur’s performance on Bob Arum’s Top Rank show in the USA.

One got the impression that Beterbiev was in no hurry at all. He won each of the rounds, tried one or another combination, gradually throwing off the “rust,” looking with curiosity at Kelling and his attacks. By the 11th round he decided it was time to take action. The pace of the fight changed, the number of actions per unit of time changed, the blows became harder, and Enrico Kelling got tired for a moment.

GROUNDING

A minute before the end of the 12th round, it still seemed that the German was running back and would survive until the final bell. Beterbiev locked him against the ropes, once again began to throw a series of punches, which he had already accustomed his opponent to during the fight, only 4 punches were followed by another one, from which Kelling sank to the floor.

Arthur's face did not show a shadow of emotion when he waited for the end of the count, looked at his opponent as he stood up, and went to finish off. The right blow caught Kelling's jaw almost immediately, Beterbiev only needed time to close the distance. After the second fall, the referee decided not to even count.

MONEY AND PAIN

The IBF light heavyweight title does not open up any new special prospects for Artur Beterbiev. They knew that he was extremely dangerous 3 years ago, when in the 6th fight, Tavoris Cloud, whose head was considered especially strong, was trampled into the ring, and in the 8th, the experienced Gabriel Campillo, both former world champions.

With the WBC belt and the same lethal blow, he most likely remains the most interesting opponent for Beterbiev. Like the one who left for Bivola WBA belt Badu Jack. If he wins Shabransky November 25th, we have another unfinished business for both of us. They already fought as amateurs, and Beterbiev had the last word. They have said enough about each other over the past year or two. Good old-fashioned hatred, which many believe has no place in the sport, comes back and always makes a good fight even better. These guys aren't here to make friends. They hurt each other for money. The potential for pain and money just got bigger at light heavyweight.

American journalist Jim Dower discusses the news regarding the Russian boxer Artur Beterbiev.

“The IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion (12(12)-0-0) has received an order from the International Boxing Federation to defend his title against the Federation’s third-ranked American Marcus Brown (21(16)-0-0).

Promotional bidding will take place in the next few days if the managers of Beterbiev and Brown are unable to independently agree on a contract for the fight.
It remains unknown whether Brown will agree to fight Beterbiev. The 2012 Olympian from the United States is also a World Boxing Organization No. 1 ranked fighter. Brown is seeking a mandatory shot at the WBO light heavyweight title against Sergei Kovalev.

Brown and his managers must decide how likely he is to beat the 34-year-old Kovalev and make more money in the process than going into the ring with the 33-year-old Beterbiev. Kovalev would be more interested if Brown chose to face Beterbiev first, because Brown is more dangerous for him than the WBO number two Anthony Yard.

If Brown agrees to get into the ring with Beterbiev, Yarde will move to the first line of the WBO rankings, and Kovalev will most likely get another fight with an unequal opponent, like the previous fight with Vyacheslav Shabransky.

Yarde doesn't have the strongest chin and is easy enough to hit. Yarde is not ready for a fight with such an athlete as Kovalev and will lose his first ranking in the WBO. This organization will not keep Yarde at the top unless he agrees to a mandatory fight with Kovalev.

Brown, 27, has looked great in his last three fights. He won victories over Francie Nthetu(by technical knockout in the first round), Sean Monaghan(by technical knockout in the second round) and Thomas Williams(knockout in the sixth round). Brown appears to have grown considerably after his controversial eight-round non-unanimous decision win over Radivozh Karadzic in April 2016. In that fight, Brown was knocked down in the sixth round and peppered with punches in the final two. Many fans credited Brown's victory over Karadzic with the support of his hometown, New York. Brown has looked stronger in his last three fights, but they were fought against less powerful opponents than Karadzic.

Brown likely won't have enough time to prepare before he faces Beterbiev, as the fight is scheduled for April. Beterbiev recently signed a contract with Top Rank and they want him to start fighting as soon as possible.

The last time Beterbiev entered the ring was in November and defeated Enrico Kelling knockout in the twelfth round, thus winning the vacant IBF light heavyweight title. The fight took place in Fresno, California. Prior to this, Beterbiev had not received a single fight within 11 months from the date of the knockout against Isidro Prieto in December 2016. Beterbiev had problems with the promoter, as well as an injury, which limited his ability to participate in fights. Hopefully now that he's signed with Top Rank they'll find him a job.

He has too much punch, boxing skills and amateur experience for Brown to compete with. Brown does well against people he can deal with quickly, but when he gets hit hard, as he did against Karadzic, he loses his composure. If Brown does not refuse the fight, then in this case Beterbiev should be considered the clear favorite and expect him to win by knockout. Brown doesn't have the talent to beat Beterbiev. It's hard to imagine Brown agreeing to fight Beterbiev. More likely, he will refuse this fight and will seek a fight with Kovalev for the WBO title. Brown hopes to wear down Kovalev, if possible, before the final rounds of the fight.

It is unlikely that Brown would be so stupid as to start a brawl with Kovalev in the first half of the fight; it would be crazy on his part. Kovalev hits too hard and Brown's chin is too fragile. If Brown comes forward in the first two rounds, he will likely be knocked out quickly. Karadzic could have knocked out Brown if their fight had gone 12 rounds instead of 8. Brown was very lucky that it went to 8 rounds. Kovalev has a stronger punch than Karadzic. His punches will create a lot of problems for Brown if he starts getting them in the early rounds, when Kovalev is still full of strength.

Beterbiev has obvious talent in boxing, but his career is not in very good shape, having had trouble finding a fight for him. A fight between him and Kovalev would be a great spectacle. This is a fight that avid boxing fans will want to see if each competitor can retain their titles until the time comes for a unification fight.”

From Alexander Kolesnikov

Russian Artur Beterbiev will fight on December 23, 2016 against Paraguayan Isidro Ranoni Prieto. The fight will take place in Canada, with the WBA-NABA world title and the vacant WBC Silver light heavyweight title on the line. Let us remind you that Beterbiev’s record is 10 victories out of 10, and all of them were achieved with the help of knockouts.

The Beterbiev-Prieto fight will take place on the night of Friday to Saturday; Match TV will broadcast the game live at 4.55.

Beterbiev - boxing

Artur Beterbiev is 31 years old, his nicknames are Wolf and White Puncher. The Chechen boxer is famous for defeating Sergei Kovalev in the semi-finals at the 2007 Russian Championships and then winning the title. Also in amateur boxing, Beterbiev has the following achievements: winner of the 2006 and 2010 European Championships, gold medalist of the 2009 World Cup and silver medalist of the 2007 World Cup.

Beterbiev is the next opponent

One of Beterbiev’s immediate goals is to enter the championship fight against American Andre Ward. Arthur's promoter Yvon Michel believes that his protégé will soon be able to fight for the champion title in the near future. “On December 26, we will receive a letter from the IBF, which will say that Arthur will take part in the final selection for the right to a title fight. This fight is expected to take place in February in the USA. Then we will bring Arthur to Canada so he can compete on the same night as WBC champion Stevenson in April. And the next fight will be for the championship title,” commented Yvon in an interview with Boxing Scene.