Beterbiev, covered in blood, knocks out Browne, retains light heavyweight title
Unified champion moves to 17-0 with 17 KOs
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With blood pouring down his face and body, unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev did what he always does. He knocked out his opponent.
Despite a horrendous cut in the middle of his forehead from an accidental head clash, Beterbiev knocked out mandatory challenger Marcus Browne in the ninth-round of a blood-soaked battle to retain his WBC and IBF 175-pound world titles in front of his adopted hometown fans on Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card.
Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) maintained his position as the only active world titleholder with a 100 percent knockout percentage in dismantling Browne, who had success moving and boxing in the early rounds before Beterbiev broke him down and knocked him out in his fifth title defense.
“We win this fight. This is another experience in my career,” Beterbiev said of dealing with the awful gash that bled profusely from the fourth round on. “This is boxing. You never know what happens in boxing. I’m happy to get the win.”
Beterbiev, 36, the two-time Russian Olympian, moved to Montreal to begin his pro career but he had not boxed in Quebec since 2016, the fight before he won his first belt. His previous five fights were all away from home — four in a row in the United States and a title defense in Russia in March.
“I am happy I had the opportunity to give the great fans of Montreal a memorable championship fight,” Beterbiev said.
It was memorable because of the sickening amount of blood poured by both fighters from the head butt that opened Beterbiev’s forehead and a cut over Browne’s right eye. Seconds into the fifth round, referee Michael Griffin called time to have the ringside doctor check both fighters, who were covered in blood.
First, Browne went to the corner to have the doctor check him and then he switched places with Beterbiev in an uncommon scene.
With the fight on the verge of being stopped because of the cuts, Beterbiev picked up his intensity and had a big fifth round.
In the sixth round, he hurt Browne, who was in his first fight with trainer Derrick James, with an uppercut and landed two tremendous right hands just as the round was ending.
Beterbiev scored his first knockdown of the fight in the seventh round when he had Browne against the ropes and landed a left hook to the body followed by a right to the head that forced Browne to drop to a knee midway through the round.
Browne (24-2, 16 KOs), 31, a 2012 U.S. Olympian Browne from Staten Island, New York, continued to slow and took more punishment in the eighth and ninth rounds. When Beterbiev landed several hard shots and finished a combination with a left uppercut in the ninth round, Browne dropped again to a knee and Griffin counted him out at 46 seconds.
With Browne out of the way, Beterbiev is interested in a fight with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez if he elects to move back up to light heavyweight, where he has previously won a title, or in unifying with WBO titleholder Joe Smith Jr. in a fight that has been discussed but never finalized. He is also open to a fight with countryman Dmitry Bivol, who holds the WBA belt.
“We're ready for any fight. We're looking for the best,” Beterbiev said. “To be the best, you have to beat the best. I have two world titles. I am open to fighting the other champions in my division.”
Weigh-ins
Weights from Tampa for Saturday’s Showtime PPV card: Jake Paul 191.4 pounds, Tyron Woodley 189.6; Amanda Serrano 133.8, Miriam Gutierrez 133.6; Deron Williams 211.2, Frank Gore 209.6 (exhibition); Liam Paro 139.4, Yomar Alamo 139; Anthony Taylor 167.8, Chris Avila 166.4; J’Leon Love 197, Marcus Oliveira 198.6; Jeovanny Estela 149.6, Chris Rollins, 149.4.
Weights from Manchester, England for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Joseph Parker 251 pounds, Derek Chisora 248.8; Jack Cullen 167.8, Kevin Lele Sadjo 1678; Zelfa Barrett 129.8, Bruno Tarimo 128.8 (IBF junior lightweight eliminator); Carlos Gongora 168, Lerrone Richards 167.2; Alen Babic 216, David Spilmont 252; David Nyika 199.2, Anthony Carpin 203; Sandy Ryan 143, Maria Soledad Caprialo 143; Jordan Thompson 199.8, Piotr Budziszewski 200; Rhiannon Dixon 135.8, Vaida Masiokaite 137.8.
Weights from San Antonio for Saturday night’s Golden Boy card on DAZN: Gilberto Ramirez 174.4 pounds, Yunieski Gonzalez 173.8 (WBA light heavyweight eliminator); Seneisa Estrada 104.6, Maria Santizo 103.8 (for Estrada’s WBA women’s strawweight title); Lamont Roach 129.8, Rene Alvarado 129.6; Marlen Esparza 111.6, Anabel Ortiz 111.2 (for Esparza’s WBC women’s flyweight title); Victor Morales 125.4, Rudy Garcia 125.2; Luis Hernandez 141.8, Ruslan Madiyev 139.6; Raul Curiel 146.4, Kendo Castaneda 146.6; John Ramirez 117.6, Miguel Rebullosa 118; Nick Sullivan 134, Erick Benitez 134.6.
Weights from Minneapolis for Saturday night’s PBC on Fox card: David Morrell Jr. 167 pounds, Alantez Fox 167.4 (for Morrell’s WBA “regular” super middleweight title); Jose Valenzuela 134.6, Austin Dulay 134.8; Alberto Puello 142.4, Ve Shawn Owens 143; Richardson Hitchins 143.4, Malik Hawkins 143.2; Suray Mahmutovic 173.8, Pachino Hill 173.4; Hector Luis Garcia 129.4, Isaac Avelar 129.4; Anthony Sims Jr. 167, Manny Woods 167.6; Adrian Benton 139.4, Raymond Chacon 139.6; Breeon Carothers 135, Deljerro Revello 136.
Beterbiev and Browne photos: Bernard Brault/GYM; Paul-Woodley photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime
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The Beterbiev fight was the kind you don’t want your wife walking into the middle of. Big cuts gushing blood. Not dangerous particularly, but damned gory.
I was going to watch the Jake Paul fight tonight but I see there are some I Love Lucy reruns….
a few random thoughts on what's included here:
- derrick james was ready to take credit for a win with his "only trainer in history" unified titles nonsense; has he stepped up to take any blame for the loss? his fighter pretty quickly did the one thing you don't do with 'beef': go to the ropes; any comments from the esteemed trainer on his preparation of his fighter?
- i see j'leon love is back.... and as a cruiserweight! i'm sure that will play out very well for him.
- the savage babic is back today! can't wait to see him in action (and it is always "action"). check out the image of the dude he's fighting on boxrec; his headshot is that of an entry level real estate broker.
- the lamont roach- rene alvarado fight on the zurdo card could steal the show. both are fighting for their careers as top contenders... should be fun.
- is anybody really gonna watch that fox card? poor dan probably has to, but pbc has once again made it clear that the relationship they value the least is the one with the largest platform. truly mind boggling.