After winning his first belt in 2017, Artur Beterbiev informed his trainer Marc Ramsay of his desire to fight in Russia one day. A dream that will come true on Saturday as he crosses swords with German Adam Deines in Moscow.
It is a project that took several years to materialize. When he became champion, Beterbiev wanted to face Sergey Kovalev in a unification fight that could have been presented in Russia. It never materialized.
Beterbiev continued on his way. He continued to wreak havoc at the light heavyweight and became the unified champion. Then, like other elite boxers, the pandemic changed his plans.
However, it enabled Beterbiev to get his project of the last years back on track.
On Saturday, in an arena filled to 50% of its capacity due to sanitary measures, he will be able to step into the ring in front of his supporters for the first among the pros.
“It will be special for sure,” said Artur Beterbiev in an interview with The Journal of Montreal. Even though the crowd will be shouting my name, I will have to keep my focus on the work I have to do in the ring against Deines.
“True to my habit, I won’t be making a prediction. If the knockout occurs, so much the better. “
Camp in the Caucasus Mountains
Beterbiev also held his training camp in Russia. He was able to train at the facilities of the national Olympic team.
A place that the Montrealer of Chechen descent has frequented several times in the past. This time, instead of taking the direction of Montreal, it was his coaches Marc Ramsay, Luc-Vincent Ouellet and Andre Kulesza who joined him.
“It was something important to him,” said Ramsay. From a logistical point of view, they have nothing to envy of what we do in Montreal.
“The center was ideal for a training camp. All you can do is eat, sleep, and work out. “
The site was located more than two hours flight from Moscow.
“In Canada, it’s as if we had camped in Winnipeg and the fight was in Montreal. It really is two worlds. On the one hand, you have Moscow, which is a big metropolis, and on the other, the training site was in a remote corner in the mountains. “
Initially, the trio of Quebecers landed in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. They were pleasantly surprised by the city which was rebuilt after being destroyed by war in the 90s.
Subsequently, he took the direction of Elbrus, where the training center is located.
“It was quite folkloric. There were several checkpoints with soldiers where you have to show your papers. You really feel like in the movie Rocky IV ! »
One folder at a time
Coming back to Beterbiev, he still wants to unify all the light heavyweight titles. Anyone who already owns the WBC and IBF belts would love to get their hands on the other two crowns as soon as possible.
That of the WBO will be given after the duel between Joe Smith and Maxim Vlasov on April 10.
One can think that Top Rank would like to organize a fight between the winner of this shock and Beterbiev as early as next fall.
Subsequently, the last to be conquered would be that of super champion of the WBA which belongs to Dmitry Bivol. The Russian has not entered the ring since October 2019.
“Artur has a specific plan in mind,” Ramsay said. We’re going one fight at a time. We don’t name names. On the other hand, it should be noted that it is not us who are slowing down business. “
The Beterbiev-Deines fight is scheduled to take place around 4 p.m. Montreal time. Fans can follow him on RDS.
Attention to yours
Several observers believe that Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will make short work of Adam Deines (19-1, 10 KOs) when the bell rings at the Khodynka Ice Palace in Moscow Saturday. On the other hand, there is no question for the unified champion to underestimate the one who is ranked fifth in the IBF. It is not in his nature.
Besides, Beterbiev got impatient this week after being asked about Deines’ slim chances of winning against him. A journalist even implied that the German will show up in the ring to make up.
“Anyone can criticize boxers, but few of them could defend themselves against a boxer,” replied Beterbiev. He added some during his interview with The Journal.
“I have always had immense respect for my opponents,” he said. It is unprofessional to question the talent of those who step into the ring. You have to have courage to do it. “
Suspicious ramsay
For his part, his trainer Marc Ramsay is on his guard at the approach of a fight where his colt is widely favorite. It’s no different with Deines. The German is the first southpaw Beterbiev has faced since 2015. By then he had faced Alexander Johnson in Chicago.
“Nobody sees him winning. He’s a boxer with nothing to lose, Ramsay said. That’s what makes him dangerous.
“As we know, in boxing, a punch can change the look of a fight. It is for this reason that Artur will have to be focused on the job he has to do in the ring. “
In recent days, Russian journalists and analysts have spent their time disparaging Deines.
Even if the unified champion is strong between two ears, this situation can represent a trap for him. To be told he will have an easy fight, he might end up believing it. We can count on his coaches Marc Ramsay and Luc-Vincent Ouellet to keep him in his zone until the fight.
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