By: Hans Themistode
There’s a long list of violent punchers in the sport of boxing. But even with the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and Gervonta Davis at the forefront, none of those aforementioned names have been able to register knockouts in every single one of their ring appearances. However, Artur Beterbiev, the current WBC/IBF light heavyweight titlist, has been able to stop every opponent he’s faced in their tracks.
The hard-hitting Russian native once again placed his pernicious power on display this past weekend against highly ranked contender Marcus Browne. The two squared off in Beterbiev’s adopted hometown of Montreal, Canada, in the Bell Centre.
Early on, the American boxed well on the outside. He refused to engage in a long-drawn-out slugfest. Instead, he boxed and moved and tied up his man when need be. Still, despite performing well in the early goings, Beterbiev eventually found his rhythm. The 36-year-old broke down the former 175-pound interim titlist before stopping him in the ninth round.
With the win, Beterbiev has successfully gotten rid of all of his opponents before the sound of the final. Yet, despite proving that the judges are inconsequential to his success, former cruiserweight titlist Tony Bellew believes he’s seen several red flags.
Following Beterbiev’s win, whispers of a possible future showdown against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez have gotten louder. If Alvarez does in fact find himself standing across the ring from the Russian monster, Beterbiev would be considered the strongest opponent he’s ever faced.
Despite those claims, Bellew believes that a matchup between them would end before the final bell. This time around, however, Bellew is confident that it would be Beterbiev who finds himself staring up at the ceiling lights.
“I think Canelo would stop Beterbiev,” said Bellew to DAZN Boxing. “I’ve seen the warning signs there already, I’ve seen the shots that he can be hurt with.”
Alvarez, 31, is no stranger to facing larger men. Before wrapping every 168-pound world title around his waist, Alvarez moved up to the 175-pound weight limit in November of 2019. The Mexican star would go on to claim his fourth divisional world title against Sergey Kovalev, stopping him in the penultimate round.
Next up for the pound-for-pound star appears to be a date with destiny. Following his 11th round stoppage victory over Caleb Plant this past November, the Mexican native has set his sights on moving up even higher than the 175-pound weight limit to land a matchup between the winner of Ilunga Makabu and Thabiso Mchunu for the WBC cruiserweight crown. Should Alvarez become successful, he’ll become the first fighter of Mexican descent to win world titles in five separate weight classes.
If Alvarez does in fact decide to face Beterbiev, Bellew believes the Mexican stars punching power will be more than enough to carry him to victory.
“It did against Sergey Kovalev,” said Bellew as he dived into Alvarez’s punching power. “If it does with Kovalev then I think it will with Beterbiev but as I said, styles make fights.”