Beterbiev vs. Maderna June 4 At The Montreal Casino - Pound4Pound.com

Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Beterbiev vs. Maderna June 4 At The Montreal Casino

By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: Robert Lévesque

MONTRÉAL — The Montrealer Russian Artur Beterbiev disputed only nine pro bouts, and he is extremely impatient to get a shot in a light heavyweight championship of the world. Beterbiev is the only fighter of 175 pounds on the planet to be ranked in the «Top 10» of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF ratings with less than 10 pro bouts of experience.

Beterbiev is actually ranked second contender by the IBF, fourth by the WBA, fifth by the WBO and sixth by the WBC. June 4th at the Montreal Casino, Beterbiev will be involved in the main event of a boxing show presented by the GYM Group. Beterbiev (9-0-0) will defend his NABA North American title and his WBO international title, in fighting the Argentinian Ezequiel Maderna (23-2-0).

“I am so impatient to get my chance in a world championship bout, mentioned Beterbiev in a press conference held by the promoter Yvon Michel at the GYM Group gym, Wednesday afternoon in Montréal. I am 30 years old, I have certainly the maturity and the talent to become world champion. I got a big experience in the amateurs and I am progressing very fast in pro boxing. Sergey Kovalev will be obliged eventually to give up one or two of his three belts, because I am sure he is not interesting to face the mandatory challenger of each of his titles. Now, he just wants to take part to mega fights which giving him millions of dollars. As soon he will abandon one or two of his titles, my promoter, Yvon Michel, will certainly work hard to involve me in a world championship bout. In waiting this opportunity, I got to stay active and stay undefeated. I got to take care of Ezequiel Maderna now. I am totally concentrated on him now.”

Kovalev (29-0-1), also a Russian, is detaining the WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight championships of the world. The Montrealer southpaw Adonis Stevenson (27-1-0) has the WBC belt. Yvon Michel does not want to organize a bout Stevenson-Beterbiev. He hopes to seen both with the statute of world champion. Both are members of the GYM Group.

Bernard Barré, the scout of the GYM Group, the man who recruited Beterbiev for the organization, has predicted that his fighter will beat Maderna by KO or TKO.

“Maderna is a very good fighter, no doubt about it, but Beterbiev is certainly the future super star of the light heavyweight on the international scene, said Barré. I think Maderna can give to Beterbiev a good opposition in the first two rounds, but our fighter will certainly intensify his attacks after, and you will see, Maderna will loose his confidence when Artur will connect him with a lot of power shots. My prediction? Artur gonna win by KO or TKO before the end of the six round. Artur is so strong and so talented.”

Marc Ramsay, the Beterbiev’s trainer, is expecting also a great performance from his boxer. “Trust me, Artur is taking Maderna very seriously, said Ramsay. I am agree with Bernard Barré, Maderna is a good rival. He has represented Argentina at the China Olympics in 2008 and in pro boxing, he got only two defeats. And these defeats happened against two of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the world, the South African Thomas Oosthuizen and the Dominican Edwin Rodriguez, in 2013. And Maderna has never been on the canvas and he never lost before a fight’s limit. It’s certainly a good match up for Artur, considering he is coming back after almost a year of inaction.”

Last year at the same period, Beterbiev got a surgery to cure a serious injury to the right shoulder. “Artur is feeling great now, and his arms and shoulders movements were perfect in sparring during the last two months, said Ramsay. I am sure that after few seconds of action June 4th, you will see in action the real Artur Beterbiev. No doubt that Artur is the future super star of the 175 pounds division.”

Before the bout Beterbiev-Maderna, we will see in action the light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez (19-0-0), the heavyweight Oscar Rivas (18-0-0), the welterweight Sébastien Bouchard (12-1-0), the bantamweight Vislan Dalkhaev (6-0-0), the super middleweight Dario Bredicean (8-0-0) and the rookie Parnell Fisher, a featherweight.

Alvarez is the Adonis Stevenson mandatory challenger. Alvarez ans Rojas are Montrealer Colombian, Bouchard is from Baie Saint-Paul, Québec, Dalkhaev is a Montrealer Russian, Bredicean is from Cape Coral, Florida, and Fisher is coming from Toronto.