Interesting facts about Artur Beterbiev
Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22KO) kicks the New Year off with a bang as he challenges WBC, WBO and IBF world light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KO) at the OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, January 28, live on BT Sport.
With 18 wins all coming by KO, this fearsome Russian's reputation precedes him as he fights as a professional in the UK for the first time. But there's much more information for fight fans to discover about him, so BBN have listed a plethora of facts below about the visting unified world champ:
He was born as Artur Asilbekovich Beterbiev on 21st January 1985 in Khasavyurt, a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, and is of Chechen descent.
During the first Chechen war, when Artur was aged 10, many civilians were left homeless. Although there was no war in Khasavyurt itself, but a large flow of migrating families passed through, so the Beterbiev family helped to shelter refugees in their apartment, which reached up 30 people at times. Looking back, he recalled, "At that time our house was still unfinished, there was no second floor, some rooms, but we still found a place for everyone. The boys in their rooms, the girls in their own – that's how they lived."
He lost his father early when he was still just a teenager after a car accident on a highway resulted in Asilbek Beterbiev losing too much blood.
At 16, he enrolled in a sports scolarship in the RSUFC, but the amount of 150 Rubles per month was not enough to help his struggling family after the loss of their father.
He beat Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev twice in the amateurs despite them being international teammates. Kovalev always maintained that Beterbiev was gifted the decisions against him and also went one further in their war of words to say he always dominated him in their many sparring sessions. Unfortunately, they never got to settle the argument in a professional ring.
He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in the amateurs – firstly at the 2011 World Championships quarter-finals, then again in the London 2012 Olympics. Usyk went on to win both competitions in the heavyweight division. The second defeat to Usyk in the London Summer Games was his last ever bout in a vest, as he made his pro debut the following year in 2013. During their 2011 bout, Beterbiev landed a devastating body shot in the final round, which dropped Usyk to one knee, but he stood back up and finished the fight well enough to still win.
However, they fought three times, and in their first bout in 2007, Beterbiev secured the win over Usyk in a light-heavyweight contest, which he won by 12-10 on the judge's scorecards after four rounds.
At the Beijing 2008 Olympics, he controversially lost to local boxer Zhang Xiaoping in the round of 16, who went on to win the gold medal.
He reportedly ran his amateur record to 295-10, winning two European golds (2006 & 2010) and a World Championships gold in 2009 (plus a Silver in 2007).
Notable amateur scalps include Michael Hunter; Oleksandr Gvozdyk; Igor Mikhalkin; Yuniel Dorticos; Thabiso Mchunu; Kenny Egan.
As a pro, he is the only reigning world champion to have a 100% KO ratio, with 18 wins all coming by knockout. On average, he KOs his opponents every 4.6 rounds.
Trained by Mark Ramsey, when Artur knocked out Gabriel Campillo in the fourth round of their IBF North American title fight, Ramsey was so impressed with the fight-ending blow that he has since called the punch a "Campillo". Despite throwing a barrage of blows to head and body, the final straw was a short right hook that flew in a straight line down the middle of his guard.
He started his paid career under Canadian promoter Yvon Michel, but following lengthy legal proceedings, they eventually split amicably in 2021. Beterbiev then entered into new a co-promotional agreement with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, but left after just one fight together and subsequently signed to Bob Arum's Top Rank.
His next fight with Yarde will be his 14th consecutive championship contest.
In his personal life, Artur is married with four children. They all live in Montreal, Canada, along with Artur's mother. His kids are all very sporty, attend the local school, and his eldest son speaks Russian, Chechen, English and French.
He is friends with Ramzan Kadyrov, the dictator at the helm of Russia’s Chechnya region and ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kadyrov has been accused of well-documented human rights abuses, including forced disappearances, torture, summary executions and an ongoing purge of Chechnya’s LGBTQ+ community.
His favourite movies to watch are Hancock, The Transporter, and the Fast & Furious franchise.
