DON’T LET the bloodcurdling look in his eyes idiot you. Artur Beterbiev might stare down his opponents like a butcher surveys a carcass however the feelings flickering away in the back of his thoughts are acquainted to us all. Few of us, nevertheless, are in a position to weaponise these emotions the best way the Russian can.
“You have to feel fear but you have to control your fear. It’s normal. I’m a very simple guy. I’m just a boxer. I’m just very human. I’m not a robot,” he tells Boxing News, his untamed beard exposing a heat smile as he strikes his arms mechanically, forwards and backwards.
“I’m like everyone. But for control, it’s different. Some do control and some cannot do that.”
The world light-heavyweight champion returns to struggle within the UK on January 28 for the primary time for the reason that London 2012 Olympic Games, the place he misplaced within the quarter–finals to a sure Oleksandr Usyk up at heavyweight. As the problem of Anthony Yarde approaches, Beterbiev has revealed a distinct aspect to his character, including an air of devilment to the press convention as he referred to his opponent as a “bodybuilder” and dismissed his personal exceptional 18 consecutive knockouts as “lucky”. For many different fighters such a rarefied accomplishment could be crowed about from the rooftops and used to intimidate potential foes, but the Russian finds such ideas to be a real distraction in his quest to always enhance.
“Everything is in past, you know? I’m not thinking about it [his KO record]. I’m always looking forward, looking for the future, not for the past. And that’s why I’m not remembering a knockout in the past. It’s not helping me in the future.”
Regardless of Beterbiev’s intention to downplay his formidable run of stoppages (the one present champion or belt-holder with such a file) the boxing public have undoubtedly been swept up within the relentless spectacle of his combating fashion. It isn’t merely the Russian’s withering assault to move and physique and the sight of his bloodied visage being held aloft like a gladiator from a bygone period. Beterbiev channels one thing of his hero, Mike Tyson, in attempting to make his opponents really feel defeated earlier than a punch has been thrown. Even for these of us watching from the protection of our tv screens it feels perilous, but the shift from genial athlete joking with media to the grisly barbarian eyeballing his subsequent sufferer is stark. It’s clearly a metamorphosis he makes consciously.
“You know, when you do different things, you are different. It’s the same. When I do really dangerous things I have to change!” he laughs.
“Mentally it’s always different. That’s why I like this. When you go [to] each fight it’s different feelings, different things, everything. I remember, in beginning of my professional career I don’t understand many things. Professional turning from amateur is a big change.”
Artur Beterbiev (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
There is, in fact, one other fighter whose identify is rarely distant from any dialogue of Beterbiev; that of Boxing News’ 2022 Fighter Of The Year, Dmitry Bivol. As the holder of the WBA’ s light-heavyweight belt, Bivol is the one man standing in the best way of the champion claiming the entire main sanctioning physique titles. Beterbiev, whereas centered upon his subsequent problem in Yarde, hasn’t shied away from questioning round this potential super-fight, making his intentions to develop into ‘undisputed’ clear.
“You know, it’s good if I want another belt, no? It’s good! I want another belt. That’s it. Three and I need one more. I don’t know why they don’t, why they won’t want to come to fight? I don’t know. It’s good. It’s, like, after this fight you’ll know who in light-heavyweight (is the) best one, you know? It’s good!”
Bob Arum, Beterbiev’s promoter at Top Rank, is actually of the opinion that he has a particular fighter on his arms. The 90-year-old king of hyperbole Arum had witnessed the likes of Bob Foster and Matthew Saad Muhammad in motion however believes, at the moment at the least, he has the best ever at 175lbs on his arms within the form of the Russian. For Beterbiev, constructing such a legacy within the sport is actually interesting, but his focus stays firmly on the challenges forward, specifically the problem of Dmitry Bivol and the fascinating task of a transfer as much as cruiserweight.
“It’s a really good thing [the praise he receives] but I’m not thinking about those things. You know when we have kids, when our kids want something, they want it and then you give him and that’s it. For me it’s not like this. Even if tomorrow I get a forth belt it not means, ‘I’m OK. I don’t want to continue.’ No, I want to continue I because I feel good. I want to do it, to face another challenge. You know, this weight or next weight class. I want (to) fight continuously, not stop. Not now.”
Beterbiev’s laser-focus on his skilled improvement has led to a string of movies from varied coaching camps going viral. Within this footage followers can see examples of the depth of his efforts to enhance energy and explosivity: typically unorthodox however evidently efficient. Yet away from the bodily calls for of coach Marc Ramsay’s fitness center in Montreal, Canada, the undefeated Russian has additionally launched challenges to strengthen his psychological focus and skill to strategise by way of struggle night time.
“I just start playing chess. Only for boxing because I think it’s helping for me in my boxing. I do some different things to make me better right now. It’s very good. It’s in your mind, you have different things you need to…” he pauses, looking for the phrases in English and mimicking the position of chess items throughout a board. A knot of focus flashes throughout his forehead.
“I play chess only for helping in my mind. I think it’s helping. I try. I have the twice per week English class and I try to improve my English. I have many things, English, boxing. You know there are many things I need to improve and I have a space to improve boxing, English and, after, French.”
This regime designed to succeed in his boxing zenith doesn’t, nevertheless, contain any time spent truly watching the game by which he dominates so ruthlessly. Beterbiev is, he says, not a fan of boxing. So how does a person with 300 novice fights and a decade of dominance within the skilled ranks stay motivated?
“I think it’s because of belts,” he replies. “And also because my dream is to be good boxer one day. I think those things help push me to continue.”
To be good boxer in the future. Beterbiev’s eyes slim to shatter any suggestion of false modesty and he shifts in his seat to intensify the seriousness of the purpose. How shut is he, then, to reaching his objective? The champion pauses, ponders the query, and takes a deep contemplative breath.
“I think not far. I hope. I hope it’s not far.”
Artur Beterbiev forward of his struggle with Joe Smith Jr at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on June 18, 2022 in New York City (Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc by way of Getty Images)
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