Artur Beterbiev: I have always been impatient for this period in my career to arrive
Patience.
It’s not the first word that comes to mind when describing a fighter who, until his most recent fight—knocked out all of his opponents.
For Artur Beterbiev, perseverance defined his reign as the 175-pound champion. He remained confident throughout his seven-year title reign that there would come a time when he possessed all the right pieces of hardware at light heavyweight.
That moment came on October 12, when he defeated Dmitry Bivol to win the RING championship and fully integrate the 175-pound division.
“When I won the IBF belt for the first time, this dream was always there for me,” Beterbiev told The Ring. “I was always confident that this day would come.
“Now it happened a few days ago and I’m very happy.”
It was evident in his ecstatic yet humble speech when he was announced as the multiple decision winner at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) went the distance for the first time in his career. He expected this day to come eventually, even though in the past he had always avoided going to the scorecards.
Against Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), it was expected that Beterbiev would have to come up with new tactics. Both were undefeated, internationally regarded as two of the best light heavyweights in the world and among the pound-for-pound best in the sport.
Beterbiev never expects to anger his opponents, although it has happened many times during his long reign. He will always be a strong physical fighter no matter who he is facing or next to a light heavyweight. Bivol had a size advantage and—on paper—was considered the better pure boxer.
Whether that last part still holds true after twelve rounds of the championship is still up for debate. At least, Beterbiev answered many questions about how he will react when his opponent refuses to fall.
“I’m happy that this fight lasted twelve rounds,” Beterbiev emphasized. “Because I have to show that I’m not just looking for a way to put him down. Every battle is always the same. If it does, it’s okay.
If not, show us that we can punch well for twelve rounds and we can win that way, too.
Beterbiev had to punch—and fight—all twelve rounds to earn the biggest win of his difficult yet grueling career.
Bivol was able to jump out to an early lead. Furthermore, he was leading on all three scorecards after nine rounds.
Much has been made of the advice that came out of Beterbiev’s corner before the start of the eleventh round. Legendary trainer Marc Ramsay has informed his charge that he needs to be beaten to win.
That sense of urgency is rare in any world-class venue. Hall of Fame, multiple-time Coach of the Year Freddie Roach often calls for his offense to “get it on its ass” before the final round. Most elite trainers know how to get the most out of their fighter in a tough situation.
That’s what happened in Beterbiev’s corner. The world-class fighter that he is, the 39-year-old Russian responded in kind.
“I didn’t think I was losing, but I wasn’t thinking about the points,” Beterbiev admitted. “I was very focused on fighting. In those last few laps, I pushed myself to the end. To be honest, you should always have enough power to finish the fight in those two rounds, three rounds. It is important that when the battle is over, you are not powerless.
“He gives it his all in those last laps. I did that when my corner told me to win. They always tell me that I need to be spanked. I knew that meant I would win the whole battle and be exhausted at the end. You don’t need that power after 12th all around. You need to win the battle.”
Fittingly, the closest Beterbiev came to going the distance as the pro won his first title.
Enrico Koelling was unceremoniously knocked out of his IBF light heavyweight title fight on Nov. 2017 in Fresno, California. However, the German player saw the light of day as the bell rang to start the 12th and final round.
Beterbiev knew that his opponent would only survive rather than win the title at stake. He ended that with two strikes to stop just 37 seconds into the night.
The bout itself marked the end of ten-plus months as Beterbiev recovered from shoulder surgery. The 2008 and 2012 Russian Olympian fought only his 12th fight in more than four years as a champion as he contested his first major title.
Injuries, disease and a global pandemic would only strengthen his momentum. Beterbiev has fought only nine times since he first fought for the IBF belt.
The key was to make it count every time he went to the ring. He did so when he faced then-undefeated champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in their October 2019/WBC/IBF unification bout. Beterbiev trailed two of three points after nine rounds before stopping Gvozdyk in the tenth.
It was his finest hour as a professional, but also his last for another 17 months. The pandemic and a series of delays halted his IBF-sanctioned title defense which even saw a change of opponent. He finally started his career in March 2021. Two fights later, Beterbiev added the WBO belt to his collection.
After three seasons, Beterbiev left the new boxing scene as the undisputed king of the light heavyweight division.
“The sad thing is that injuries are part of sports. Delays are part of sports,” Beterbiev noted. “All these different things are put in our way for a reason.
“In the end, it produced something very beautiful. I was always in good shape and persevered so far in my career to get there. “
Even this time was met with a four-month delay as Beterbiev recovered from a knee injury and subsequent surgery. He and Bivol were supposed to meet in June, and at that time in a fight that was thought not to happen before 2024.
That dynamic changed with the emergence of Turki Alalshikh and the Riyadh Season team, which invested heavily in sports. In addition, the team made a strong push to secure the championship battles at the highest level.
Despite this current move, the light heavyweight division has been apart for 22 years and counting.
With it, Beterbiev was not only placed in a position to succeed, but in a world where he could fully embrace his faith right after his career-defining victory.
“Yes, it made this time special. “Islam is a big part of Saudi Arabian culture,” said Beterbiev, a devout Muslim. “But I am faithful to my faith no matter where I am in the world.
“It made a bit of a difference to win it here but the goal was to win a title that no one has held anywhere this fight has been.”
Accordingly, the path to opposition came against an opponent who waited for this moment as long as he did. Bivol was promoted to the full WBA light heavyweight division one week into Beterbiev’s IBF title reign.
“It was always meant to work like this, [Bivol] and I fight for everything,” emphasized Beterbiev. “I never doubted that this day would come. I thank His Excellency (Alalshikh) and those who made it happen. Every step of my career led to this. It was always my future.
“My faith that this day will come led me to be able to do it in the ring to fulfill my dream.”
