Beterbiev eager to defend world title at Bell Center homecoming

Highlanders Kim Clavel and Marie-Eve Dicaire join the light heavyweight champion on December 17 in Montreal.

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Montreal is home to light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev, but opportunities to fight in front of his hometown fans have been slim.

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That’s why his upcoming title defense against American Marcus Browne has special significance. Beterbiev, who has won each of his 16 bouts by knockout, faces Browne (24-1, 16 KOs) in the 12-round main event of a Bell Center undercard on Dec. 17.

“Although I was not born here, it is still my hometown,” said Beterbiev, a native of Khasavyurt, Dagestan, who adopted Montreal by turning pro in 2013. “It has been a long time since I had the opportunity to fight here. I have lived here almost nine years. This is home for my family, a fight at home and I feel like home. “

Also on the card are Montreal boxers Kim Clavel and Marie-Eve Dicaire, both of whom are battling for world titles. Clavel, who returned to the infirmary during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, meets Yesenia Gómez, while Dicaire confronts Cynthia Lozano.

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The 36-year-old Beterbiev last stepped into the ring at the Bell Center in June 2016 and has not fought in the province since December of that year, on a card in Gatineau.

But a lot has happened in his career since then. In 2017, Beterbiev captured the vacant International Boxing Federation title with a 12th-round knockout of Enrico Kolling in Fresno, Calif. In 2019, Beterbiev added the World Boxing Council 175-pound title, scoring a knockout. coach in the 10th round against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Philadelphia.

Beterbiev fulfilled one of his ambitions last March, when he defended the titles against Adam Deines in Moscow. And he wants to do the same in Montreal. Beterbiev has been preparing for the fight for eight weeks. Logistics aside, coach Marc Ramsay has noticed Beterbiev approaching the fight, one that has taken on additional meaning, in a different way.

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“This is something he wanted to do,” Ramsay said before Wednesday’s training session at his Ramsay Boxing Academy in the far north. “Fighting in Russia was a dream for him; returning with his belts and defending himself against his native people. Now you want to come back here for many reasons. He did a couple of his first fights in Montreal, and that was very important to him. Also, it is easier for us as a team to organize the training camp in Montreal. “

In August, the WBC ordered a mandatory defense against the top ranked Browne. Beterbiev’s promoter Top Rank won the auction for $ 1,005 million, of which the champion receives 70 percent.

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While Beterbiev is arguably the greatest of many world-class boxers Quebec has produced, he could be a virtual unknown in Montreal, given his absence. That’s why it was important for co-promoter Yvon Michel to include Clavel and Dicaire to boost ticket sales. Michel is Beterbiev’s former promoter. Michel and Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum have previously worked together.

Beterbiev is known for his devastating power and is often recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. But after defeating Gvozdyk, he went 17 months without a fight. Beterbiev suffered a rib injury and later tested positive for COVID-19.

Ramsay said Beterbiev can do more than just hit and offers a complete package.

“The first thing you see is power, but it is much more sophisticated,” he said. “He knows how to box and his technique is good.”

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Still, Browne, from Staten Island, NY, could prove to be Beterbiev’s toughest opponent. He’s a southpaw, and at 6-foot-2, he’ll bring a two-inch headroom and three-inch reach to the ring. Browne could possess the best hand speed in the division while effectively using footwork to his advantage.

The 30-year-old Browne has never competed for a title. In January 2019, he captured a unanimous decision over former champion Badou Jack. But in August of that year, Browne suffered his only professional loss, to Jean Pascal de Laval, a former world champion. Browne trailed one point on the scorecards of all three judges when the ring doctor stopped the fight in the eighth round after Browne suffered a severe cut. Pascal received a technical decision.

Michel anticipates that ticket sales should reach between 4,000 and 5,000. Spectators must show proof of being fully vaccinated. The boxers and their trainers will be quarantined at their hotel 48 hours before the card and will be tested for COVID-19 the morning of the weigh-in.

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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