GUEST COLUMN
Anyone challenging the light-heavyweight champions should beware
The light-heavyweight kings
T THE lightheavyweight division today is headed up by a stellar if not yet mainstream group of recognisable champions. It’s also unprecedented that each of the four champions are of Russian descent. Each of them have smart boxing styles, and great punching power and, as a collective, they match up favourably with the current champs in every other division.
I work with Artur Beterbiev so I’m going to say he’s the best of the bunch. But I really believe that and when he gets the opportunity to prove it, he will do so. His conditioning, physical strength and punching power are top of the line, as is his heart and desire to prove himself. His boxing skills are improving to compliment his natural mean streak and killer instinct. Several years ago I received a call from Artur’s trainer, Marc Ramsay, asking if I’d like to kind of help out in camp and provide a new and additional pair of eyes to the team. Right from the first day we all kind of clicked and things have remained smooth to this moment. I give my professional input but I always stay in tune with Marc and his game plans. But for Beterbiev to show the world what I know, the unification fights have to happen.
The ingredients for a thrilling group of fights among the top four is right there and with the fact they are all from the same part of the world already provides the story lines that will make each fight a promoters dream. For example, Artur and Kovalev fought as amateurs and Artur beat him. A couple years ago a reporter asked Kovalev about Artur and, rather than give him any credit, he downplayed him and his skills and potential. With Artur’s recent success, it came across more as jealousy or pettiness than his actual true feelings. From what John David Jackson, Sergey’s former trainer, has stated in the past I think Kovalev knows full well who Artur really is and what he brings to the table.
But Kovalev may end up fighting Britain’s Anthony Yarde before that. Should Yarde take the fight? Why not? I think the general rule of thumb is that anytime you get offered a world title fight you take it. Kovalev is obviously a huge step and a very difficult fight for any contender in the world but the fact is that any direction Team Yarde attempt to go today will lead to a huge step up.
But all four champions, right now, are formidable. I look back to when I was fighting and wonder how I’d have fared in this era today.
To be honest I always felt I was on the smaller side as a lightheavyweight, I was physically smaller than almost every guy I fought at the weight. The lightheavies today are pretty big and exceptionally strong for the weight today. These Eastern Bloc guys are very physical as well.
It’s just a completely different era. I’ve seen photos of myself with Artur and with Kovalev standing together and, even today at more than 175lbs, I appear much smaller than both of them.
I have long maintained that we are in an era where men can be true world champions now that so many top fighters have come from different parts of the world, which wasn’t always the case in the past. I knew so many top Russian boxers from my era as amateurs that could have made great names for themselves but never received the opportunity.
It’s new and fresh era in the game of boxing, though, and the world is finally seeing the level of fighters that these countries are turning out.
‘SHOULD YARDE FIGHT KOVALEV? OF COURSE, BUT IT’S A HUGE STEP UP IN CLASS’