Artur Beterbiev – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Joshua Buatsi drops Dan Azeez twice, wins clear decision

Joshua Buatsi dropped Dan Azeez twice en route to winning a clear decision in their title eliminator Saturday in London.

Bring on the winner of the June 1 Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev fight?

Joshua Buatsi had no trouble with Dan Azeez in a title eliminator for Bivol’s 175-pound title, putting his opponent down twice and winning a one-sided decision Saturday in London.

The official scores were 117-109, 117-109 and 116-110.

Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs) outboxed and outworked Azeez (20-1, 13 KOs) from the outset, including consistently good work to Azeez’s body.

Azeez hit the canvas twice in Round 11, although neither knockdown was conclusive. However, they didn’t factor into the result. Buatsi would’ve gotten the nod without them.

Buatsi is now in a strong position to challenge the winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev fight for the undisputed championship in Saudi Arabia, which was just announced.

However, he’ll have to wait on the outcome and what might follow. The winner of the title fight could do it a second time, which would push back Buatsi’s big opportunity even further.

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev has never looked better

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev never looked better than he did in his knockout victory over Callum Smith.

Artur Beterbiev was still perfect as he approached his 39^th birthday.

The 175-pound titleholder hadn’t fought in a year when he stepped through the ropes to face Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada, but neither his advanced age nor the layoff was evident in his performance.

Beterbiev pummeled his accomplished opponent, dropped him twice and finally stopped him the seventh round, making Smith his 20^th knockout victim in as many fights.

The winner was modest afterward, saying, “It’s because of luck. It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck.”

Luck had nothing to do with it. He demonstrated in emphatic fashion that he remains one of the best fighters in the world — he’s No. 12 on Boxing Junkie’s pound for pound list — and arguably the top 175-pounder of his generation.

Thus, he earned Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month honors for January.

Beterbiev’s dominating victory wasn’t the result of sheer aggression. The three-belt champion used his boxing skills and experience to patiently, methodically break down his opponent until the challenger could no longer fight back.

The result was both brutal and thorough, which underscored Beterbiev’s reputation as a fearsome beast.

Indeed, he has never looked better as he approaches the biggest matchup of his decade-long career, a showdown with fellow titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in late spring or summer.

We’ll see whether Beterbiev is up to the challenge of facing Bivol if they reach a deal. Bivol, the conqueror of superstar Canelo Alvarez, is more skillful than Smith.

However, Beterbiev, who turned 39 on Jan. 21, clearly is threat to anyone at or near his weight. That couldn’t have been more obvious on Jan. 13.

“They talk about his strength and punching power,” said Buddy McGirt, Smith’s trainer, “but he’s a very smart fighter. He’s gonna be tough to beat.”

Ya think?

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Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev has never looked better

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev never looked better than he did in his knockout victory over Callum Smith.