Who does Beterbiev remind you of?

Interview with John ''Iceman'' Scully (Beterbiev's assistant trainer)

BT: Style-wise it is safe to say we have the boxer in Gvozdyk vs. the puncher in Beterbiev?



JS: Look, it doesn’t take a genius to see that you aren’t well served to be trading with Beterbiev. I always tell people that it wouldn’t take a boxing expert to see that Muhammad Ali was smart to box Joe Frazier. That is just logic. Artur is very strong and he hits very hard and everyone knows that. Teddy Atlas is a very good trainer and he’ll know that better than anyone, so we are expecting them to box but we are working hard to counter that. Sometimes fighters want to gauge a guys power but nobody needs to do that with Artur, they know what he has. Nobody wants to trade with Artur, that’s no secret.



BT: People were really excited about this fight when it was announced, there was an immediate buzz about the fight, some are predicting ‘Fight of the Year’.



JS: Artur is really excited about the fight, he is looking forward to the challenge and he is excited to unify the titles. They have a history together with both being from Eastern Europe, there is a lot of respect for each other. But, there is a lot on the line for the winner. Maybe they winner gets a shot at the Canelo - Kovalev winner? This a fight fans fight. People who know boxing know what a great fight this is.



BT: Because both fighters have power, both fighters have to really be on point all night. Could the fight play out as a more tactical bout?



JS: It might be tactical at times but sometimes a fight can break out in a fight. Artur really has the mindset of looking for the knockout from the opening bell until the closing second of the fight. I remember when he won the title, I turned to the guy sitting beside me, I can’t remember his name, as Artur was heading out for the last round, and I said, ‘Don’t be surprised if Artur knocks him out in this round’, and he did. Artur is thinking KO right up until the last second of the fight. That is just his mentality.



BT: Beterbiev has only had 15 fights in 6 years as a pro. He’s 34-years old. Is he feeling the pressure to get going as he has more years behind him than ahead?



JS: Bill, you know, Artur is a young 34 year old. Back in the early 80’s, a guy 32 or 33 was seen as really getting old as a fighter. But, things are different today. Fighters fight longer, they know about how to take care of themselves better, they know how to control weight better. Artur is a devout Muslim, he eats right, he doesn’t smoke or drink or stay out at night, he’s a married man with a family. He isn’t an early-80’s 34, he’s a 2019 version of 34.



BT: How do you see the fight playing out? Prediction time.



JS: I think he (Gvozdyk) might be difficult, stylistically, early in the fight but let me tell you Artur is a hard guy to hang with for 12 rounds. I always talk to his sparring partners and they all say the same thing, ‘He makes the ring so small, you can’t escape’. Artur is very dangerous in every second of the fight because he is thinking KO always - he is tough both mentally and physically. Don’t be surprised if Artur KO’s him before the end of the fight.


I have to believe all things considered and picturing how the fight is going to go, mentally picturing both guys I think Artur is going to end up stopping Gvozdyk. I envision by the middle rounds. Artur stops Gvozdyk somewhere between 5-8 rounds. This will be Artur’s biggest fight but he will take Gvozdyk out. Artur hitting guys flush... that’s a big problem, it really is. I have spoken to all of Artur’s sparring partners and each and every one of them has said he’s the hardest puncher they have sparred.

 

Had Beterbiev not been IMO robbed here he would've very likely gone on to win Olympic gold which was his dream and a promise he made to himself honour his late father.

His opponent (Zhang) was allowed to get away with a ridiculous amount of holding and spoiling (ala Andre Ward in his Olympic semi-final). Zhang subsequently went on to win the gold, and not without a little more good luck coming his way from the judges. Beterbiev had already beaten the guy Zhang fought in the final, Ireland's Kenny Egan who was robbed of the gold against Zhang. Beterbiev stopped Egan in 2 rounds on the OS rule in the European championships in 2006. Beterbiev had also stopped the guy Zhang fought in the quarter finals (Abdelhafid Benchebla) in the 4th round of the semi-final of the Feliks Stamm Tournament earlier in the same year as those Olympics too and he also beat him again on points the following year as well.

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Here he is getting IMO robbed again in the World Championships final

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For a fighter with such a scary beastly power punching destroyer reputation he's an extremely softly spoken and jocular character when not in fight mode. He's always cracking jokes.

But he can flick the beast switch on as soon as he wants to and become very intimidating

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