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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
The Moment Of Truth For
Beterbiev & Koelling
By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: Mikey Williams - Top Rank
MONTRÉAL - The Montrealer Russian Artur Beterbiev believes
he will live the greatest moments of his boxing career in
few hours. It’s the moment of the truth. Saturday evening in
the ring of the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California,
Beterbiev (11-0-0) will fight the German Enrico Koelling
(23-1-0) for the vacant IBF light heavyweight (175 pounds)
championship of the world.
The winner of this bout televised by ESPN in USA, will
return home with a belt relinquished recently by the
Californian Andre Ward (32-0-0), who has decided to take his
retirement two months ago.
“I worked like hell to become amateur world champion (2009),
and I worked harder to become world champion in pro boxing,”
said Beterbiev after the weight in in Fresno. “No doubt I
will live the greatest moments of my boxing career in the
next hours. I know in my heart that I will replace Andre
Ward as IBF light heavyweight champion of the world. In
spite of my lack of experience in pro boxing, I know I have
the maturity necessary to become IBF champion of the world.
I have the talent, the determination and the confidence to
achieve it.”
Marc Ramsay, Beterbiev’s trainer, is more than satisfied
with his fighter’s preparation. “Artur is a real pro,” said
Ramsay. “He is taking all the fights very seriously. He is
always perfectly prepared mentally, physically, technically
and strategically And he knows that in few hours, he will
dispute the most important bout of his career. I am sure he
will fight with a perfect concentration from the beginning
to the end, and he will do the necessary to leave the ring
in the IBF champion of the world shoes. Artur is dreaming
since a year to get a shot for a world title. No bout in my
mind, we will see an Artur Beterbiev at his best in few
hours. And like I said it few days ago, Koelling has not the
power to hurt Artur, but Artur, him, has the power to hurt
Koelling. Artur will fight intelligently, in connecting his
power shots at the right moments, like he does it in each
fight. My fighter won his 11 pro bouts by KO or TKO, and I
believe seriously in his chances to score a 12th KO or TKO.
He is always hungry at few hours of an important bout, and I
never saw him more hungry than now.”
If Beterbiev becomes IBF light heavyweight champion of the
world Saturday evening, he will be one of the two only
champions of the world to achieve it with only 12 pro bouts
of experience. The other is another Russian, Dmitry Bivol
(12-0-0), the new WBA 175 pounds champion of the world.
At the weigh in, supervised by the IBF championship
committee Friday afternoon, Beterviev posted an official
weight of 174.6, versus 174.4 for Koelling.
Koelling mentioned to a German boxing writer: “Beterbiev is
strong physically, he is a dangerous puncher, but I know I
am better than him technically, defensively like
offensively. I will be patient in the ring, and place my
shots at the good moments. I am positive I am gonna win the
bout by unanimous decision.”
In the other fight televised by ESPN, the undefeated super
lightweight Jose Carlos Ramirez (20-0-0), from Avenal,.
California, will face another undefeated fighter, Ken Reed
(23-0-0), from Washington, D.C. in a Americas’s Continental
title.
At the weigh in, Ramirez posted an official weight of 139,
versus 139.9 for Reed.
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