Trainer predicts long reign for hard-punching champion
Five days after winning the International Boxing Federation’s vacant light heavyweight championship, Artur Beterbiev resumed training in his north-end Montreal gym.
After capturing the 175-pound title Saturday with a 12-round knockout of Germany’s Enrico Koelling in Fresno, Calif., Beterbiev celebrated with a cup of black tea back at his hotel. He was in bed and asleep by 9:30 p.m., according to his trainer, Marc Ramsay.
“It’s wonderful for guys like me,” Ramsay said Thursday. “The dream of a trainer.”
Beterbiev, 32, who won more than 300 fights as an amateur and twice represented Russia at the Olympics, required only 12 pro bouts to capture his first world title, stopping the overmatched Koelling at 2:33 of the final round.
Beterbiev, who was coming off an 11-month layoff, had never been forced to fight beyond the seventh round.
Nonetheless, he dominated the bout, landing 322 of 1,111 punches (29 per cent). Koelling, by comparison, landed only 64 of 252 blows (25 per cent) and was knocked down twice in the final round.
“We had different strategies for this fight,” Beterbiev said through a translator. “As the fight progressed, the plan was better than we had expected. It was interesting for myself how I could box for 12 rounds.
“I didn’t show all I wanted to ... but it was OK. Overall, my evaluation of the fight is positive. The most important thing I liked is that I boxed all 12 rounds. I liked that more than finishing the fight with a knockout.”
Beterbiev has that unique combination of punching power and aggression. And he fights at a frenetic pace, constantly moving forward, landing stiff jabs to the head and belly in a relentless fashion. He’s won all 12 of his bouts by knockout.
He and the 27-year-old Koelling (23-2) were fighting for the title vacated in September by Andre Ward, who surprisingly retired after defeating Sergey Kovalev.
Promoter Bob Arum, who heads Top Rank, won a purse bid of $315,000 for the bout. Beterbiev received 75 per cent of the bid ($236,250), leaving Koelling with the remaining 25 per cent ($78,750).
Beterbiev, who moved to Montreal upon turning pro, has endured his share of hardships.
He was inactive for a year after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery. He was supposed to meet Sullivan Barrera last April in Miami in a title eliminator, but the Cuban-born fighter pulled out. Another eliminator against Koelling last July was cancelled after Beterbiev was refused a U.S. visa.
Meanwhile, he’s involved in a dispute with Montreal promoter Yvon Michel. Beterbiev believes their contract has expired; Michel disagrees. The case is expected to go to court in early 2018.
Beterbiev, who is managed by Al Haymon, said he’s open to offers from promoters.
Predictably, he said his wish is to unify the division’s titles, one of which (World Boxing Council) is held by Montreal’s Adonis Stevenson.
Ramsay believes Beterbiev’s reign could be long.
“He’s very disciplined,” the trainer said.
“When it’s time to train, he trains. It’s not magic that he has become a world champion. This guy is special. Every single thing he does in his life, it’s for his boxing career. Everything he puts in his mouth ... the hours he sleeps. He’s always in great shape.”
Ramsay, who has seven pro boxers in his stable, will have little time to rest on his laurels. He’s busy preparing Laval’s David Lemieux for a Dec. 16 title bout against World Boxing Organization middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders. That fight will take place at Place Bell in Laval. Lemieux is a former IBF 160-pound champ.