Has Beterbiev lost a step?

If it's a step it's a small one. He looked like a monster against Marcus Browne. Beterbiev has that Foreman style. It will age very well for the years to come

Whereas someone like Lomachenko uses way too much movement and his style will decline faster, especially against bigger, stronger men

 

I expected him to look significantly slower against Marcus Browne due to the age, injuries, and inactivity. However he went in there and crushed Browne probably never looked better. I can’t call it anymore but if he’s slowed down any we’ll see this fight when Smith lands a bomb. He could make this fight very easy by simply boxing Smith but who are we kidding Beterbiev chooses violence so he might catch some hooks flush..

 

He became a champ far out of his prime, yes.

 

Joe Smith Jr. is gonna crush him and bring the titles back home. Blue collar commie crusher Joe "The Hammer" Smith Jr..

 

Lol
Why is he a commie? Because he is from Canada?

 

Canada?!

 

For sure.

 

I don't think he's really lost a step, but he hasn't been as active as I'd like him to be.

Beterbiev had a very long amatuer career, though. Training for fights does put constant wear and tear on the body, so it's not out of the question that he will be in decline when he fights Smith Jr. I don't think that's critical because I regard Smith Jr as a pretty flawed fighter who will give Beterbiev plenty of stuff he can work with.

 

Probably doesn't matter that much if he has since he doesn't rely on speed. Obviously it makes you more effective to be faster but these pressure power styles combined with 'amateur pedigree' seem to age better than the 'slicksters'.

It's interesting people liked to mock Golovkin, Beter etc. for having no skill, but they're still elite fighters the wrong side of thirty, where as fighters like Degale were 'shot' in their early thirties. Once Degale lost his speed advantage he just fell apart as a top fighter.

 

As long as Artur's legs hold up reasonably well, his power pressure style might be ok for another couple of years. Although Beterbiev has been dropped a couple of times - I don't think he's incurred too much mileage from his fights. I'd be more concerned about the 20 or so years of training he's had to put in.

 

His strength and conditioning is ultra elite.

He is still hitting and beating all his targets that Andre Kulesza wants him to.

By the way, Andre Kulesza is 72 years old and is insane shape himself for his age.

 

Someone still thinks it's the 1980s

 

Definitely. Not so much that he still is the best at 175, but he isn't the wrecking machine of old.
I think Bivol would have a very good chance to beat him nowadays.

That said, Beterbiev KO6 Smith Jr this weekend.

 

The way he trains, he will be even more powerful and strong by the age of 40