Light-heavyweight star Artur Beterbiev has decided not to face Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion. Beterbiev believes Usyk is "too strong" and "too good" for him, even if Usyk were to drop down in weight.
Beterbiev, a 40-year-old Russian fighter, has been a dominant force at 175lbs. He unified the WBC and IBF light-heavyweight titles from 2019 to 2024 and became the undisputed champion in the division last October. His impressive career includes wins over Callum Smith, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and Anthony Yarde.
In his first encounter with Dmitry Bivol, Beterbiev outpointed his opponent to claim all four belts. However, Bivol avenged this defeat in a rematch last February, which many consider a "Fight of the Year" contender. Fans expect a trilogy bout in early 2026, though it's not officially announced yet.
Beterbiev had previously expressed interest in fighting Usyk. He said:
"From a pure sporting perspective I would be interested in this fight, of course, because we boxed in the Olympics and the World Championships as amateurs. It would be interesting to try as professionals, not for money, although money would be nice, but my interest in this fight would be purely sporting, much more than monetary. Much more."
Usyk, the Ukrainian two-weight undisputed champion, had also shown interest in returning to cruiserweight. He told Sky Sports:
"I try cruiserweight again. I try [to be undisputed cruiserweight again]."
However, Beterbiev has now changed his stance. In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, he stated:
"No, he's too strong for me you know. He's like heavyweight you know it's too strong even if he came back down. He's too strong [even at cruiserweight], too good."
Usyk cemented his status as the unified heavyweight champion when he defeated Tyson Fury in May 2024. He's now gearing up for a rematch against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. The fight will take place on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. If Usyk wins, he'll become the first two-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the 'four belt era'.
While fans might have hoped for a Beterbiev-Usyk showdown, it seems this matchup won't happen anytime soon. Both fighters continue to dominate in their respective weight classes, leaving boxing enthusiasts to wonder what could have been.
