Professional career
Beterbiev moved to Montreal, Canada, ahead of his professional debut in 2013. With his first 11 contests all ending inside the distance, the prolific knockout artist entered his first world title shot against Enrico Koelling in 2016. And despite being taken into the 12th round, Beterbiev was nonetheless able to produce a tremendous finish to claim the vacant IBF light-heavyweight title.
After defending his red and gold strap against Callum Johnson and Radivoje Kalajdzic, Beterbiev locked horns with WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019. In what was deemed by most a 50/50 clash, Gvozdyk ultimately succumbed to his opponent’s fearsome power in the tenth round, climbing off the canvas twice before getting halted by a devastating onslaught.
Beterbiev was then supposed to defend his titles against Chinese contender Meng Fanlong in 2020, but due to the ongoing oppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang – a northern region of China – the proud Muslim refused to step foot in the East Asian nation. Instead, he went on to defeat Adam Deines and Marcus Browne before dethroning WBO titlist Joe Smith Jr with a blistering second-round finish in 2022.
With three of the four major belts firmly in his possession, Beterbiev secured two further stoppages against British contenders Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith ahead of his undisputed showdown with Dmitry Bivol in 2023. But while many felt that Bivol had done enough to edge their fiercely contested encounter, it was ultimately Artur Beterbiev who emerged from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with all the jewellery at 175lbs following his majority decision victory.
Now, the pair are gearing up for their eagerly anticipated rematch on February 22.
Trainers
Marc Ramsay
Beterbiev has worked with head coach Marc Ramsay since his professional debut in 2013. The pair train in Montreal, Canada, where Ramsay has also worked with the likes of Jean Pascal, Eleider Alvarez and David Lemieux.
Andre Kulesza, meanwhile, takes care of Beterbiev’s strength and conditioning, overseeing the remarkable tricks and stunts he typically performs with conventional weight training equipment.
