Artur Beterbiev facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Artur Beterbiev Артур Бетербиев
Beterbiev in 2019
Statistics
Real name	Artur Asilbekovich Beterbiev
Rated at	Light-heavyweight
Height	5 ft 11+1/2in
Reach	73 in
Born	(1985-01-21) 21 January 1985 (age 40) Khasavyurt, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	21
Wins	21
Wins by KO	20
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Russia European Championships Gold 2006 Plovdiv Light-heavyweight Gold 2010 Moscow Light-heavyweight World Championships Gold 2009 Milan Light-heavyweight Silver 2007 Chicago Light-heavyweight World Cup Gold 2008 Moscow Light-heavyweight

Artur Beterbiev is a famous professional boxer from Russia and Canada. He was born on January 21, 1985. He is known for being the undisputed champion in the light-heavyweight division. This means he holds all the major championship belts in his weight class. He has held this title since October 2024.

Beterbiev is the first boxer to be the undisputed light-heavyweight champion since 2002. He is also the first to do it in the "four-belt" era. This means he won all four main boxing titles at once.

Before becoming a professional, Artur Beterbiev was a very successful amateur boxer. He won many medals, including gold at the World Championships and European Championships. He is famous for his incredible punching power. He has won most of his professional fights by knockout, which means his punches are very strong!

Amateur Boxing Career

Artur Beterbiev had a long and successful amateur career. He competed in both light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He won the 2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships. He also beat future champions like Sergey Kovalev in 2007.

In 2007, he won a silver medal at the World Championships. He then won gold at the 2008 World Cup and the 2009 World Championships. He also won gold at the European Championships in 2006 and 2010.

Artur Beterbiev competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In 2012, he reached the quarter-finals in the heavyweight division. He had over 300 amateur fights, winning about 295 of them.

Professional Boxing Career

Artur Beterbiev moved to Montreal, Canada, to start his professional boxing career. He had his first professional fight on July 8, 2013. He won this fight by a technical knockout in the second round.

Rising Through the Ranks

First Title Win Against Tavoris Cloud

After winning his first five fights, Beterbiev faced Tavoris Cloud in 2014. Cloud was a former champion. Beterbiev showed his power by knocking Cloud down three times in the first round. Cloud had never been knocked down before! Beterbiev won the fight in the second round by knockout. This win earned him his first professional title, the NABA light-heavyweight title.

Winning More Titles

In December 2014, Beterbiev won two more titles by stopping Jeff Page Jr. in the second round. He was knocked down for the first time in this fight, but he quickly recovered. He said he lost focus for a moment.

Next, Beterbiev fought another former champion, Gabriel Campillo, in April 2015. Beterbiev knocked Campillo down in the first round. He continued to hit Campillo with strong punches. In the fourth round, Beterbiev landed a powerful punch that knocked Campillo out. This punch was measured to be very strong!

In June 2015, Beterbiev won against Alexander Johnson. He knocked Johnson down three times before finishing the fight in the seventh round. With this win, he added the WBO International light-heavyweight title to his collection.

In 2016, Beterbiev continued his winning streak. He defeated Ezequiel Maderna and Isidro Prieto by knockout. He faced some delays in getting world title fights due to legal issues.

Becoming IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion

Winning the IBF Title

In November 2017, Artur Beterbiev fought Enrico Kölling for the vacant IBF world title. The previous champion, Andre Ward, had retired. Beterbiev dominated the fight, hitting Kölling many times. He finally knocked Kölling down twice in the twelfth round, and the referee stopped the fight. This made Artur Beterbiev a world champion!

Defending the Title Against Callum Johnson

In October 2018, Beterbiev defended his IBF title against Callum Johnson. It was an exciting fight where both boxers were knocked down. Beterbiev was knocked down in the second round, but he got back up. He then knocked Johnson down again in the fourth round to win the fight.

Becoming Unified Light-Heavyweight Champion

Unifying Titles Against Oleksandr Gvozdyk

After another win in May 2019, Beterbiev had a big fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Gvozdyk held the WBC light-heavyweight title. This fight was to unify, or combine, the IBF and WBC titles. The fight took place on October 18, 2019. Beterbiev won the fight by knockout in the tenth round. This made him a unified champion, holding two major world titles!

More Title Defenses

Beterbiev was supposed to fight in March 2020, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He later defended his titles against Adam Deines in March 2021. Beterbiev won by knockout in the tenth round.

In December 2021, Beterbiev defended his titles against Marcus Browne. Beterbiev won the fight by technical knockout in the ninth round, even after getting a cut from an accidental head clash.

Unifying Three Belts Against Joe Smith Jr.

In June 2022, Artur Beterbiev had another big unification fight. He faced Joe Smith Jr., who held the WBO light-heavyweight title. Beterbiev showed a very strong performance. He knocked Smith Jr. down three times in the first two rounds. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round. This made him a champion with three major world titles (WBC, IBF, and WBO)!

Defending Against Anthony Yarde

Beterbiev was scheduled to fight Anthony Yarde in October 2022, but it was delayed due to an injury. The fight was rescheduled for January 2023 in London, England. Beterbiev won the fight in the eighth round. He knocked Yarde down, and Yarde's corner stopped the fight.

Defending Against Callum Smith

In January 2024, Beterbiev defended his titles against Callum Smith. This fight was originally planned for August 2023 but was postponed because Beterbiev needed jaw surgery. Beterbiev won the fight by technical knockout in the seventh round.

Becoming Undisputed Light-Heavyweight Champion

Historic Fight Against Dmitry Bivol

Artur Beterbiev was set to fight Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed title in June 2024. Bivol held the WBA light-heavyweight title. Beterbiev had to withdraw from this fight due to an injury. The fight was rescheduled for October 12, 2024.

In this historic fight against Bivol, Beterbiev fought all 12 rounds for the first time in his career. He won the fight by a close decision from the judges. This made Artur Beterbiev the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion since 2002. He is also the first to achieve this in the "four-belt" era, holding all four major world titles! After this big win, there was talk about a possible rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol.

Personal Life

Artur Beterbiev was born in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russia. He is of Chechen descent. He now lives in Montreal, Canada, and has become a Canadian citizen. Artur Beterbiev is a Muslim. He is married and has four children. In October 2024, after his big win against Dmitry Bivol, he was made an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic.

Professional boxing record

See Also

In Spanish: Artur Beterbiyev para niños

• List of male boxers
• List of world light-heavyweight boxing champions
• List of undisputed world boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of WBO world champions
• List of IBO world champions
• List of The Ring world champions