"Too strong": Russian Beterbiev is afraid to fight Usyk, naming the only condition for the fight
Absolute world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) refused to fight Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) in the two main boxing divisions. According to the Russian, our compatriot is too strong and intelligent an athlete to take risks, and therefore the fight is possible only in his category.
Beterbiev said this in an interview with the FightHub TV YouTube channel. Earlier, the Dagestani, who called Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov his brother and shamefully hides under the Canadian flag, expressed his willingness to fight Usyk in the heavyweight division, but now considers it dangerous for himself.
Beterbiev with championship belts.
Source: Matchroom Boxing
Usyk won three awards from The Ring magazine in 2024.
Source: Instagram Ready To Fight
"No, Usyk is too strong for me. He fights in the heavyweight division. He's very strong. If he goes down to light heavyweight, then there's no problem. But in heavyweight or cruiserweight - no. He's too strong and he's too good. I respect him. His rematch with Fury was good. But I'm sorry that there are no big names in the heavyweight division now. Like it was in the days of Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. Now Fury and Usyk are the best boxers in the division," Beterbiev said.
Earlier, American trainer Malik Scott emphasized that Beterbiev had no chance of winning the fight against Usyk.
Usyk with championship belts.
Kadyrov and Beterbiev.
Source: RBC
The boxers met several times at the amateur level. In 2007, at a tournament in Kaliningrad, the Russian won 12:10, and the Ukrainian took revenge in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics with the same score of 17:13.
Usyk and Fury made a fight.
Because of these defeats, Beterbiev harbored a grudge against Usyk and accused him of cowardice. And after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he called Oleksandr sick because of his stance against the aggressors. The Russian also complained that many fans and experts accused him of being jealous of the Ukrainian super champion.
As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Oleksandr Usyk told promoter Frank Warren about his next opponent and the weight category in which he will fight.
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Oleksandr Usik
Artur Beterbiev
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