Artur Beterbiev will defend his undisputed crown against Dmitry Bivol in their much-anticipated rematch on February 22nd.
Artur Beterbiev became the first man to defeat Dmitry Bivol, the first undisputed light-heavyweight since Roy Jones Jr. in 2002, and the first ever in the four-belt era.
His record has improved to 21-0, with Bivol becoming the first man to hear the final bell against Beterbiev, with all twenty of his other wins coming by way of knockout.
Beterbiev’s latest win prior to the Bivol fight was Callum Smith, who believes George Groves was one of three men better than Joshua Buatsi, his next opponent.
The fight was a close one, with one judge scoring it a draw, but both fighters hope to make a statement in the rematch.
Despite his impressive power and aggression in the ring, Beterbiev has made a recent admission on how he feels about his career.
Artur Beterbiev admits he doesn’t like to hit people, even in boxing
When asked what he thought of the ‘monster’ label he’s often ascribed, Beterbiev said: “I don’t like it. I don’t like hitting people, even in boxing. It’s like my job.”
He was also asked if he believes fans are too bloodthirsty for knockouts now, to which he replied: “I don’t think about it. I appreciate my fans who are rooting for me but […] I need to do my job.”
Beterbiev was then asked to speak on his feelings after knocking out opponents, whether he fears for their safety or considers it part of the job.
“Of course, I don’t like punching them, but it’s my job. […] Even when I don’t want to, I need to.”
Artur Beterbiev’s long history of injuries
At forty years of age, Beterbiev is in the closing chapter of his career, and will be considering retirement before time catches up to him.
Despite his impressive performances, cracks are beginning to show in Beterbiev’s health, with his last three fights being postponed due to injury.
Beterbiev was forced to withdraw from his clash with Anthony Yarde in 2022 due to an undisclosed injury. The fight was rescheduled and the Russian stopped Yarde after the Brit gave a good account of himself.
In his next fight, Beterbiev was set to face Callum Smith but had to withdraw from the fight to undergo jaw surgery after a bone infection. He would go on to stop Smith in their encounter.
Most recently, his fight with Dmitry Bivol was originally set to headline the Matchroom vs Queensberry 5v5, but he withdrew from that due to a ruptured meniscus.
Beterbiev seems in good health ahead of his rematch with Bivol, so it’s all to play for in the rematch for undisputed.
Also on the card is Zhilei Zhang, who has been training with LL Cool J, against Agit Kabayel, as well as Joseph Parker, who opened up on facing depression, making his bid for a second heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois.
Parker is not the only one seeking a world title, as Hamzah Sheeraz is set to fight Carlos Adames on the same night. Sheeraz has admitted he won’t pray to beat Adames, as he does not want an unfair advantage.
Beterbiev will be seeking a career-defining performance to top the bill of what might be the best card in boxing.