By Declan Taylor
AT 20-0 (20), Artur Beterbiev is the only world champion with a 100 per cent knockout ratio. But not all inside-distance wins are equal so we have put together his top five. What is striking is that many of Beterbiev’s stoppages have come more as a result of accumulation as opposed to a single, one-punch knockout, with opponents crumbling before him beneath the sheer weight of punches. There have also been a number of corner stoppages in big fights, too. See below for the five that caught the eye most.
Marcus Browne, Bell Centre, Montreal. December 17, 2021.
This was not the most visually spectacular knockout on Beterbiev’s highlight reel but the ending of this showdown with the once-beaten Browne was testament to his devastating body punching. He had already dropped Browne with a left hook to the body in the seventh and it was the same shot which did the damage in the ninth, before a left uppercut to the chin cemented the finish after 46 seconds of the round.
Joe Smith Jr, Madison Square Garden Theatre, New York. June 18, 2022.
This composed, clinical dissection was the example of what happens when someone throws caution to the wind and attempts to simply walk Beterbiev down. The short description is: it doesn’t end well. Smith barely stopped walking forward during the five minutes of 19 seconds of action that he lasted but Beterbiev brutally dismantled him. A counter right hook downed him just before the end of the first, before the same shot repeated the trick in the second. But it was a pair of uppercuts to the chin which finally forced Harvey Dock to wave it off.
Isidro Ranoni Prieto, Lac Leamy Casino, Gatineau. December 23, 2016.
This was just pure violence. To date it is the only fight scheduled for 12 rounds that Beterbiev finished inside the first. Prieto had attempted to fight fire with fire early on and had landed an overhand right of his own but once Beterbiev had him in the corner it was curtains. Referee Michael Griffin had to jump in to stop Beterbiev raining down punches and, for good measure, Prieto crumbled to the ground for a second time as he attempted to climb back to his feet.
Callum Johnson, Wintrust Arena, Chicago. October, 6, 2018.
This is the only time in Beterbiev’s career when he had to climb off the canvas to win. Brit Callum Johnson had already been down in the first but stunned the Russian with a knockdown of his own in the second round. But Beterbiev regrouped and showed his tremendous powers of recovery by taking out Johnson after 2:36 of the fourth. It was another counter right hand which did it, as Johnson got tagged after attempting a big left hook. Johnson tried his best but was unable to beat the count.
Adam Deines, Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow. March, 20, 2021.
This was the sort of knockout that makes you shudder. Again, his trademark arcing right hand, which landed on the top of the head, had already dropped Deines in the first round. A very early night looked likely but the German southpaw dug deep and hung on until the 10th. Unusually for Beterbiev, it was a single left hook to the chin which did the damage here, the sound of which reverberated around the arena in Moscow. Deines stumbled to the ground and stayed on one knee, where he appeared to contemplate all of his life choices. Whatever was going through his head, he failed to beat the count.
