Fighter of the Month

By Doug Fischer |

Fighter of the Month

(Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

ARTUR BETERBIEV

The “BeterBelievers” – those who believe Artur Beterbiev is not only the best light heavyweight in the world but deserving of a high place in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings – were given something to cheer about in the aftermath of the unified titleholder’s seventh-round stoppage of Callum Smith on January 13.

Beating down the towering former super middleweight champ enabled Beterbiev to leapfrog WBA beltholder Dmitry Bivol to The Ring’s No. 1 light heavyweight spot and vaulted him all the way to No. 5 in the pound-for-pound rankings.

Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has literally smashed everyone he’s faced in the professional ranks, so it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that he’d be the first to send Smith to the canvas en route to stopping the game Liverpudlian.

Smith’s knockout of Castillo was a ray of hope for his supporters. (Photo by EDDIE KEOGH / Matchroom Boxing)

But Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) carried momentum into his mandatory shot at the Montreal-based soultaker. The 6-foot-3 veteran, who struggled to keep his Ring/WBA 168-pound titles in a controversial defense against John Ryder in 2019 before losing the belts to Canelo Alvarez in 2020, looked much stronger and sharper in his light heavyweight debut against Lenin Castillo in 2021.

With hall-of-famer Buddy McGirt now in his corner, Smith served notice to the 175-pound division by short-circuiting Castillo’s nervous system with a short right cross in the second round. Castillo was no world-beater, but he hadn’t been stopped in 25 pro bouts, including a 12-round title challenge to Bivol in 2019. A fourth-round KO of Mathieu Bauderlique in 2022, courtesy of a single left hook, had some fans and pundits (mostly British) thinking Smith could pull the upset against Beterbiev.

And why not? Anthony Yarde had his moments against Beterbiev during their rough-and-tumble eight-round shootout in January 2023. Then the original date for the Smith bout, August 19, 2023, had to be pushed back due to a bone infection in Beterbiev’s jaw (the result of dental work). Add to this the specter of Father Time looming over the soon-to-be 39-year-old Beterbiev, and you can understand why Smith was thought to be a “live dog.”

But any thoughts of Beterbiev getting old or being fragile were put to rest during the early rounds of the Smith fight.

He was as punishing as always but with an added degree of finesse. Beterbiev took immediate control of the pace and distance and there was nothing Smith could do about it. The 33-year-old Englishman couldn’t hit Beterbiev, who exhibited equal amounts of savage science and the finer points of boxing.

He was aggressive but nimble, technical but loose, busy but accurate.

The best word to describe Beterbiev’s performance is “effortless.”

It had to be a demoralizing experience for Smith, who went down twice in Round 7 as much from bewilderment as from blunt-force trauma. Buddy McGirt did the right thing by throwing in the towel (and entering the ring) to ensure that his outclassed fighter was spared from a special talent.

How special is Beterbiev? Hardcore fans are already comparing him to the light heavyweight legends – Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks. Some veteran observers say he’s the closest thing to heavyweight great Rocky Marciano.

Others say, “Calm down! Beterbiev beat a guy who got bullied by 5-foot-8 Canelo and roughed up by John Ryder. He did what he was supposed to do.”

(Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

Fair points. Not everyone is sold on King Artur, but on June 1, when he takes on Bivol for the undisputed championship in Saudi Arabia, he’ll have the opportunity to make BeterBelievers of us all.