Artur Beterbiev, the undisputed light heavyweight champ with a terrifying 21-0 record and 20 knockouts to his name, has flat-out admitted he’s not up for a scrap with Oleksandr Usyk, the undefeated heavyweight king. In an interview with Fight Hub on Jan. 13, Beterbiev confessed, “There won’t be a fight with Usyk. He’s too strong for me.” At least he’s honest, eh?
Beterbiev, made it crystal clear in an interview with Fight Hub TV that stepping up to heavyweight to face Usyk isn’t on his to-do list. “If he moves back down to my division, then I’ll fight him. But not in heavyweight. Cruiserweight? No. Too strong, too good.” Well, that’s one way to dodge a beating.
The pair have history, having clashed three times in the amateur ranks. Usyk came out on top twice, and it seems those memories are still fresh for Beterbiev. Can’t say I blame him for wanting no part of the man who just schooled Tyson Fury.
Speaking of Fury, Beterbiev had some thoughts on that, too. “Fury fought well. I feel a bit sorry that there are no big names in heavyweight right now. I mean, real legends like Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. Right now, Usyk and Fury are the best in this weight class.” Translation: Heavyweight’s a bit of a snooze fest these days, apart from Usyk and Fury.
To be fair, Beterbiev’s honesty is a rare thing in boxing. Most fighters would have given some canned line about “considering all options” or “testing themselves against the best.” Instead, Beterbiev’s basically saying, “Nah, mate. I’ll stick to my own lane.”
