Ryan Garcia Absolutely Certain That One World Champion Beats Artur Beterbiev

Artur Beterbiev is undefeated in 21 bouts and has 20 knockouts.

The 39-year-old blew through the light-heavyweight division, collecting three of the four major belts with wins over Enrico Koelling, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Joe Smith Jr.

Earlier this year, he stepped through the ropes with fellow champion Dmitry Bivol and, going the twelve round distance for the first time in his campaign, became the division’s first undisputed champion since Roy Jones Jr with a majority decision.

Many feel that only age will beat the ferocious Russian-Canadian, who has been branded the strongest puncher in the sport by opponents and sparring partners alike.

After the Bivol performance, Ryan Garcia took to social media to confidently predict unified super-middleweight ruler and one-time light-heavyweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez would have the beating of Beterbiev.

“Canelo beats Beterbiev”

Garcia also called the Bivol result a robbery, siding with the many in the sport who felt he did enough to have his hand raised rather than the now undisputed champion.

Canelo has floated the idea of moving back up to the 175 ranks, however he has made it clear that it would be for a rematch with Bivol, who beat him back in 2022 over the distance, rather than a new challenge against Beterbiev. The Mexican has previously defeated Sergey Kovalev to win a title in the light-heavy class.

Beterbiev rematches Bivol on February 22, topping a card that many feel is the best of their lifetime.

As for Garcia, he is currently serving a one-year doping suspension off the back of his win, later ruled a no contest, over Devin Haney. He can return to the ring in April of 2025.