Will Serey Kovalev come to box with Artur Beterbiev in Grozny. “Kadyrov is still following my career Artur Beterbiev next fight of the year

Will Serey Kovalev come to box with Artur Beterbiev in Grozny

Vadim Tikhomirov in a column on Match TV reviews the main comeback for Russian boxing this year.

What now

Beating an opponent in two rounds, even in a title fight, is not the most difficult task for Sergey Kovalev. Faster than Vyacheslav Shabransky, Ismail Sillakh (3 minutes 52 seconds) and Blake Caparello (4 minutes 47 seconds) fit in. Sergey Kovalev defeats Shabransky, holds the first fight in New York, closes two defeats from Andre Ward with a victory, and the body with the WBO championship belt. It is important not to overestimate this victory. Taking into account all the weaknesses and mistakes of Kovalev, which the boxer himself spoke about, two fights with Ward and the period from November 2016 to June 2017 turned out to be a nightmare. Sergey Kovalev lost two fights, which, whether he wants it or not, are still considered the main ones in his life, and he lost them as painfully as possible. Having left incompetent judges in amateur boxing, Kovalev again came to them as professionals. And to the thoughts that I spent seven years of my career and again returned to the same place: you give up the end of the fight, and you are sued. That was the case in the first fight with Andre Ward, and that's why the second one happened, where everything got even worse. Ward is unavailable for a rematch: he retired and (he did not say this, but we understand) will return when Kovalev or one of his competitors collects four belts and again becomes a valuable and valued opponent.

And now, no matter how well we talk about Vyacheslav Shabransky, we must understand that the fight with him is the only and necessary action for the return of Kovalev. Nothing less, but nothing more. Talking about how much better Sergei began to box is just as untimely as evaluating the gait of two people who went towards each other after a long enmity. That is, it is not important at all.

It is strange to argue how much Kovalev has improved. Sergei heard the opponent's name two months before the fight, worked with the new coach for a month and spent less than six minutes in the ring. It seems that in each case there is little time for both changes and for showing them. Nothing new happened in the fight, and it was hard not to know that Sergey hits hard and accurately. Vyacheslav Shabransky had not yet completely sunk to the floor after the third knockdown, and there were already thoughts in his head, “how this Sergey Kovalev will box against someone more serious.” Evaluating Kovalev after everything he's been through in this one fight is like evaluating a straight line with only one point. Moreover, all the main problems of the Russian did not happen in battle, but.

What will happen next

A vote instantly appeared on HBO's twitter: "Who would you like to see Kovalev next fight with?" Artur Beterbiev won by a small margin over Dmitry Bivol. In the weight category of Sergey, the belts are now distributed as follows: WBO - for Kovalev, WBA - for Dmitry Bivol, WBC - for Adonis Stevenson, IBF - for Artur Beterbiev. It looks like a micro-tournament with a lot of pairing options. Kovalev and Bivol do not hide that they are ready to box with each other and they will be able to find money for this fight both in the USA (both boxers work with the HBO channel) and in Yekaterinburg (both boxers are of interest to the promotion company owned by the Russian Copper Group).

The conflict between Kovalev and Beterbiev, which began in the amateurs, suddenly turned out to be so loud that even in the USA they learned about the Russian Championship in Yakutsk (according to the version, Kovalev was sued there in a fight with Beterbiev). And this is the brightest Russian-speaking confrontation of all that you can think of.

Knocked out in the 12th round of the German Enrico Kelling and won the vacant IBF light heavyweight title.

Expectations were high. Perhaps even too much - Beterbiev, with his previous performances, set such a bar that this fight was called no other than the execution of Kelling. Actually, what chances did Enrico have against one of the toughest boxers in the division, an amateur world champion and a participant in two Olympics, who in 11 professional fights only once let his opponent live to the 7th round ... Opponents always fell, more often completely 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 punish?

ELECTRICITY

By round 12 there was no lightning. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, dry peals, the audience began to feel sad. Beterbiev hit in the block, hit in the head, planted a right blow somewhere under the ribs of Kelling, and he kept standing, shifting, sometimes throwing himself head first, at times even lulling the opponent’s vigilance and attacking in the most adventurous way, for which he was never punished.

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

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

So here, it seemed, not everything was in order with the connection. There was no way Arthur could "ground" Kelling.

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

Lawyers and the court will soon determine whether the Russian boxer owes one more fight under the contract to his promoter, but for now Michel did not interfere with Arthur's performance in 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 the other combination, gradually dropping the "rust", looked with curiosity at Kelling and his attacks. By round 11, he decided it was time to act. The pace of the fight changed, the number of actions per unit of time, the blows became harder, and Enrico Kelling was tired for a moment.

GROUNDING

A minute before the end of the 12th round, it still seemed that the German was running back, would live to see the final gong. Beterbiev locked him at the ropes, once again began to punch a series of blows, which he had already accustomed his opponent to during the fight, only 4 blows were followed by another one, from which Kelling settled on the floor.

Arthur's face did not show a trace of emotion when he waited for the end of the count, looked at the rising opponent and went to finish off. The right hit hit Kelling's jaw almost immediately, it only took Beterbiev time to close the distance. After the second fall, the referee decided not to even count.

MONEY AND PAIN

The title of IBF light heavyweight champion 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 was trampled into the ring, whose head was considered especially strong, and in the 8th - experienced Gabriel Campillo, both former world champions.

With the WBC belt and the same fatal blow, he is likely to be the most interesting opponent for Beterbiev. Like leaving for Bivola WBA belt badu jack. If wins Shabransky November 25, we have one more unfinished business for both of you. They have already fought in the amateurs, and Beterbiev has the last word. Over the past year or two they have talked enough about each other. The good old hatred that many people think has no place in the sport comes back and always makes a good fight even better. These guys are not here to make friends. They hurt each other for money. The light heavyweight potential pain and money just got bigger.

BOXING: WBA-NABA title fight and vacant WBO-Silver light heavyweight title.

Venue: Gatineau, Canada.

Start: 05:00 (MSK).

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

Artur Beterbiev (Russia)

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

Age:31 years;

Growth:182 cm;

The weight:81 kg;

Arm span: 185 cm.

Isidro Prieto (Paraguay)

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

Age:30 years;

Growth:184 cm;

The weight:81 kg;

Arm span:188 cm

Recent 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 the opposition of Beterbiev, then it does not cause delight, and from the defeated rivals it is worth highlighting only such guys as Tavoris Cloud, Gabriel Campillo and Ezekiel 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 quoted. The most famous fight for Prieto was the duel 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 wins. Prieto is famous for his stamina and ability to add in the second half of the fight, when his opponents are already exhausted. Beterbiev is known for his brutality and 100% early victories in the professional rank.

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) - kf 2.00.

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

“The IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion (12(12)-0-0) was ordered by the International Boxing Federation to defend his title against the holder of the third rating of the Federation, an American Marcus Brown (21(16)-0-0).

Promotional bidding will take place over the next few days if Beterbiev's and Brown's managers fail to agree on a contract for the fight on their own.
It remains unknown whether Brown will agree to fight Beterbiev. The 2012 Olympian from the United States is also the holder of the first rating according to the World Boxing Organization. Brown is in contention for a mandatory WBO light heavyweight title fight with Sergey Kovalev.

Brown and his managers must decide how likely it is for him to beat the 34-year-old Kovalev and earn more money in the process, compared to entering the ring with the 33-year-old Beterbiev. It would be more interesting for Kovalev if Brown chose to meet Beterbiev first, because Brown is more dangerous for him than the WBO number two Anthony Yard.

If Brown agrees to enter the ring with Beterbiev, Yard will move to the first line of the WBO rankings, and Kovalev will most likely get another fight with an uneven opponent, similar to the previous fight with Vyacheslav Shabransky.

Yard doesn't have the strongest chin and is fairly easy to hit. Yard is not ready to fight an athlete like Kovalev and will lose his first WBO rating. This organization will not keep Yard at the top unless he agrees to a mandatory fight with Kovalev.

The 27-year-old Brown has looked great in his last three fights. He won victories over Francie Ntatu(by technical knockout in the first round), Sean Monaghan(by technical knockout in the second round) and Thomas Williams(by knockout in the sixth round). It looks like Brown has grown significantly since the controversial eight-round unanimous decision victory over Radivozh Karadzic in April 2016. In that fight, Brown was knocked down in the sixth round and showered with punches in the last two. Many fans cited Brown's victory over Karadzic as influenced by the backing of his hometown, New York. Brown has looked stronger in his last three fights, but they have come against less powerful opponents than Karadzic.

Brown will likely not have enough time to prepare before facing Beterbiev as the fight is scheduled for April. Beterbiev recently signed with Top Rank and they want him to start fighting as soon as possible.

The last time Beterbiev entered the ring in November and defeated Enrico Kelling by 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 for 11 months since the knockout to Isidro Prieto in December 2016. Beterbiev had problems with a promoter, as well as an injury that limited his ability to participate in fights. It is hoped that now that he has signed with Thor Rank, they will find a job for him.

He has too much punch, boxing skills and experience in amateur sports for Brown to compete with him. Brown looks good against people he can deal with quickly, but when he gets hit back hard, as seen in the Karadzic fight, he loses focus. 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 qualify for a duel with Kovalev for the WBO title. Brown is looking to wear down Kovalev, if he can, before the final rounds of the fight.

It is unlikely that Brown will be so stupid as to start a fight with Kovalev in the first half of the fight, it would be crazy on his part. Kovalev hits too hard, and Brown has a too fragile chin. If Brown pushes in the first two rounds, he will most likely be knocked out quickly. Karadzic could have knocked out Brown if their fight had been 12 rounds instead of 8. Brown was very lucky that it was limited to 8 rounds. Kovalev has a stronger shot 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 energy.

Beterbiev is an obvious talent in boxing, but his career is not in very good shape as there were problems finding a fight for him. A duel between him and Kovalev would be a wonderful sight. This is the kind of fight that die-hard boxing fans will want to watch if each of the athletes can keep their titles until it's time for a unification fight."

from Alexander Kolesnikov