Boxing fans would assume that each fighter who steps through the ropes is a huge fan of the sport, but a reigning world champion who has won 95% of his fights by knockout has made the shock claim that he isn’t a fan of boxing.
Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev has evolved into one of the most formidable fighters on the planet.
The 40-year-old Russian defeated countryman Dmitry Bivol to capture the undisputed champion at 175lbs last October, becoming the first fighter in the ‘four belt era’ to achieve this feat.
Beterbiev is known for his devastating punching power, which has assisted in him achieving one of the best win-to-knockout ratios in boxing.
The Russian star has defeated 20 of the 21 opponents he has faced via knockout, which includes stoppage wins over the likes of Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Beterbiev was asked about his thoughts on a potential bout against unified super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
“When he was champion in my weight category, that time I wanted to fight with him because I needed belts but now, no. I mean if he comes up in my category or a mandatory or something like this, if [there is] obligation then yeah I do but for choosing, no.”
The Russian powerhouse was then asked to give a prediction on Canelo’s upcoming mega-fight against Terence Crawford, which is set to take place in September, and made the shock claim that he doesn’t like the sport.
“We’ll see. It’s a very interesting fight, even when I’m not a fan of boxing I will watch this fight.”
Canelo came close to crossing paths with Beterbiev when he moved up to 175lbs and defeated Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to capture the WBO light heavyweight title, although the Mexican went on to vacate the strap shortly after.
Beterbiev went on to become WBO champion in 2022 with a 2nd-round knockout victory against Joe Smith Jr in New York City.
This weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he looks to impress fans of the sport – despite not being one himself – by defeating Bivol for the second time to retain his for belts.
