On Beterbiev

A boxing friend of mine, Arran McLachlan, reached out in early 2014 to tell me how excited he was about this emerging Montreal-based Russian prospect, Artur Beterbiev. I think at that point Beterbiev was 4-0 and fighting six-rounders. Arran insisted that Beterbiev, who was an Olympian, had a style that would play spectacularly in the pros and expected him to become a world champion at light heavyweight. Now all of this sounded a little outlandish or fanciful to me, but Arran, like myself, wasn't someone who often fell in love with boxing prospects. He saw something special in Beterbiev and I noted that. So, I studied up on Beterbiev. 

And then I made a classic mistake in fighter evaluation: focusing too much on what a fighter couldn't do, instead of what could make him special. I immediately noticed Beterbiev's slow hands, ponderous footwork and lack of athleticism. Those were big red flags to me, as they would be if I had been evaluating any prospect. Although I observed his heavy hands, his ability to fire off damaging punches at close range and how ordinary-looking blows wound up brutalizing an opponent, those factors weren't enough to sway me regarding Beterbiev's future. 

I relayed my scouting report to Arran, the good and the bad, and although Arran is significantly younger than me, he treated ME with kid gloves. He was essentially saying to me, just you wait...I understand all your concerns and he will address them in due time. Arran again reminded me that Beterbiev was an excellent amateur in the punch-counting system, where a person’s power didn't carry any additional favor from the judges. Ultimately, he believed that Beterbiev had significant craft to go along with his substantial power. I remained unmoved. 

Later in 2014, Beterbiev was dropped in a flash knockdown by Jeff Page, a club fighter from Kansas. In truth, it was more of a slip/foot entanglement issue than a legit punch, but I used that opportunity to mock Arran. I can still remember the glee in those messages that I had sent to him. I questioned Arran's judgment. I was convinced by my own eyes. That Beterbiev stopped Page in two rounds was immaterial to me. 

And yet here we are, ten years later. Beterbiev is now among the best fighters in the sport, with three title belts at 175 lbs. and eight championship defenses. Arran and I were still exchanging messages about Beterbiev on Saturday as Artur was on his way to knocking out Callum Smith. But this time there was no pushback from me. I was reveling in the quality of Beterbiev's performance, just like Arran was. 

Beterbiev's jab was a key weapon against Smith
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

Now, it must be said that much has changed with Beterbiev in the previous ten years. He has continued to add to his game. He out-jabbed Smith on Saturday, which was quite an accomplishment considering that he was shorter and had a significant reach disadvantage. However, he was the one controlling the action with the stick, pumping it to the head and body, and using it as a clever counter. 

The first knockdown of the fight started with a vicious counter right hand by Beterbiev, where he slipped the jab and came over the top with the short right to the side of Smith's head. It was a similar maneuver to how he had initially hurt Joe Smith. And it's now obvious watching Beterbiev that he has become far more than just a brute slugger with heavy hands.

Beterbiev's lead trainer, Marc Ramsay, has played a huge role in Beterbiev's technical development. Having interviewed Ramsay twice over the years about Beterbiev, the trainer has always praised Beterbiev's boxing skills. Here's Ramsay in 2022: 

"You know what’s fun about being the trainer of Artur is that he’s a very good boxer and he can do a little bit of everything. He can box. He can put pressure. He can slug. We’ve done all of that already." (For the complete article with Ramsay, click here.) 

Ultimately what has made Beterbiev into an elite fighter, as opposed to just a guy with heavy hands, is a combination of winning intangibles: 

1.     Physical and Intellectual Aptitude

2.     Coachability

3.     Humility

Ramsay has been working with Beterbiev on various techniques to improve his boxing ability. But all of that would be meaningless unless Beterbiev agreed that he needed to further refine himself in the ring. And this is quite extraordinary. Ramsay is training perhaps the biggest puncher in the sport and says to him: you know what, it's not enough. And Beterbiev agrees! And more than that, Beterbiev has incorporated these teachings into the ring. 

Whether it's changing the eye level with power punches, controlling opponents with the jab, or how and when to throw the proper counter, Beterbiev now utilizes these facets as if they were second nature. 

Unlike so many fighters with high knockout percentages, Beterbiev didn't fall in love with his power. He realized that there was still work to do. This speaks highly of his intellect, as well as his relentless desire to improve. 

At 38 Beterbiev is now a complete fighter. He has delivered on the promise that Arran saw a decade ago. But he has also steadily improved. He wasn't utilizing foot feints and cute lateral movement in 2014. I can assure you of that!

Beterbiev after Saturday's victory
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

I have picked against Beterbiev in the past and been wrong. I've watched him twice live and have marveled at aspects of his performances. I saw him stop an excellent version of Gvozdyk and destroy a fellow champion in Joe Smith. I still don't know what happens if he ever fights Dmitry Bivol, but I do understand one thing: Beterbiev is one of the best fighters in the entire sport. But I was a little late to the party on him.  

In one sense I was correct about Beterbiev; the fighter of 2014 was incomplete, but what I didn't know and what Arran and Ramsay did, is that he had much more to offer than what he had displayed on his fight nights. It pays to do your homework, to ask around, and not be so settled in a first evaluation. There are fighters who have a tremendous aptitude for improvement. They may have significant skills or intangibles that won't manifest against lesser opponents in short fights.   

We all like to remember the occasions where we got it right, a spectacular fight pick, an identification of a special talent well before the general public latches on. But it's important to remember when and how we get things wrong too. As someone who has immersed himself in boxing over the last three decades, I whiffed here. Even before getting into questions about aptitude, I should have recognized that his combination of uncommon power and success in the point-counting amateur system was a winning formula in the professional ranks.  

But Beterbiev has become even so much more than that 2014 version. He has put in the work. He has ignored his own headlines. His only goal is to become the best. He is now 20-0 with 20 knockouts, but his resume somehow still undersells him: he's the complete package. And I hope that we all know that now, even if it took some of us longer than needed. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

Marc Ramsay on Beterbiev-Smith

Trainer Marc Ramsay is preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career on June 18th. His fighter, light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev, will face fellow titlist Joe Smith Jr. at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden. Three belts will be on the line. The matchup presents a battle of perhaps the two biggest punchers in the division. Unified titlist Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) has yet to go the distance in a professional fight. Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) will be making his second title defense and he'll be fighting just a few miles away from his Long Island home. 

For the Montreal-based trainer Ramsay, Beterbiev-Smith is a fight that motivates him. He's trained multiple titleholders such as Jean Pascal and Eleider Alvarez, but he's never had an undisputed champion and Beterbiev's battle with Smith can get him one step closer to that illustrious goal. 

Photo courtesy of Marc Ramsay

Ramsay is more than familiar with Smith, having studied him extensively over the last few years. Alvarez lost to Smith by KO in 2020. In that fight, Smith turned in the most well-rounded performance of his career and impressed with not just his power but his fundamental boxing skills. Not only has Ramsay faced Smith in the opposing corner, but he's had ample time to consider Smith against Beterbiev; the matchup has been on the table at numerous points over the last 18 months.

I spoke with Ramsay this week about the upcoming matchup, his scouting report on Smith, training camp, and his reflections on a couple of important bouts in Beterbiev's career. 

Interview conducted by Adam Abramowitz:

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

Marc, thank you for your time today. How would you assess Beterbiev's last performance against Marcus Browne?

Pretty good. The only thing is that we were planning to start the fight slow and be careful, especially defensively, because Marcus is very fast and a good boxer. We wanted to take our time to break him down. But the cut, that changed the whole thing. When that cut happened, we could not take our time anymore. That fight could have been stopped at any moment and we had to rush a little bit. But our planning was to put progressive pressure on him round by round; we just needed to work a little bit faster.

Were you impressed with Artur’s poise in handling the cut?

Yes, but he’s always very calm under pressure. However, when he came back to the corner, I could see that he was mad. Mad, but under control. Aggressive, but still he was listening. I explained to him that we have a job to do for the cut and you have a job to do in the ring. If everybody’s focused on their job, then everything is going to be fine. Just focus on the tactics that we prepared for that fight, and he followed them.

The fight with Joe Smith has been rumored for a long time. I know it had been discussed in the past. Why didn’t it happen previously?

I don’t know. They had talked to us a couple of times about the fight. But we never really went deep in negotiations with them. They would talk about it, and after that there was a mandatory fight with Marcus Browne and then Joe Smith fought Steve Geffrard. It was just a question of negotiations.

You’re very familiar with Joe Smith. You faced him before with Eleider Alvarez, who lost by knockout. In that fight, Smith showed a lot of boxing skills and some new wrinkles that he often hadn’t displayed before. What were your impressions of Smith in that fight?

People say a lot of stuff about Joe Smith, but the guy is a world champion and he’s a world champion for a reason. Like everybody knows, he’s very physically strong. Good punch. He’s got balls. He can box also. He’s a complete fighter and we respect him a lot. This is nothing personal, but our objective is to take all of the straps, and he has one of them.

Did he surprise you or Alvarez in that fight?

Not really. We already knew that Joe Smith comes to the fight with his "A" game. Alvarez didn’t have a great training camp at that time and I was already starting to talk with him about retirement. That’s not the best angle to start a training camp and go for a fight of that magnitude. No, Joe Smith was the Joe Smith that I know.

What is Joe Smith's best attribute in the ring?

He’s very good at putting pressure. But what he’s doing, he's doing every fight. I don’t want to say he’s a one-way fighter, but as I said, Joe Smith is Joe Smith. It’s very classic. It’s not something new. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s a lot of balls. Good power...He’s very effective at what he does. He doesn’t look like he has a bad night. Joe Smith is going to bring it to you. And I respect that a lot, but Artur Beterbiev to me is another level of boxer.

The last time Beterbiev faced a huge slugger was, in my opinion, Callum Johnson and Artur was dropped early in that fight before he rallied. What happened in that fight and did he take Johnson’s power for granted?

No, It’s a question of professional boxing. At some point you’re going to get hit. He got caught by a good shot. He got off the floor. He came back to the corner and we explained to him: Don’t put yourself at the level of your opponent. You can outbox that guy. Just focus on good boxing. And he was able to come back in that fight. It was very simple.

Was Beterbiev ever hurt in that fight?

It was a good shot. He was hurt a little bit from the punch when he went down. You know, Arthur has very good conditioning, good legs, resistance, and everything. As I was saying, it’s professional boxing. This stuff can happen. But it’s how you react after that happens which is most important.

For this training camp did Beterbiev do his strength and conditioning work in Russia before coming to Canada or did he do his entire camp in Canada?

He always does a pre-camp in high altitude in Russia. He went there, he trained and he came back for an eight-week training camp with me.

Is there anybody that you’ve been using in camp as a sparring partner that has particularly impressed you?

We have about six guys. I won’t name them because that could tell you the direction I want to take the fight. We’ve had very good sparring. We have guys with top rankings in our camp, very good boxers. And I’m very happy. For the Marcus Browne fight, the restrictions to come to Canada were so tough and it was tough to get quality sparring partners from outside of the country...It’s been way easier for this training camp. And we have had much higher quality sparring.

Beterbiev is about to have the biggest fight of his career, headlining at Madison Square Garden. I know that it’s been a long road for him, with injuries and several periods of inactivity. But now that he’s here, what's been his mindset in camp going into this fight?

Artur is emotionally very stable. He’s not a guy who's going to be overanxious or overexcited or is going to crack under pressure. He’s very stable, but it’s still a fight at Madison Square Garden. It’s a big fight and I can see his enthusiasm about training and about realizing the objective that we have, to take the WBO title. For a fight like this, you can see the fighter pushing a little bit more.   

Artur Beterbiev is associated with knockouts, but he has a significant boxing foundation. He was a strong amateur and can do a lot of different things in the ring. Are there aspects of his boxing ability that he (or you) decides to use for some opponents more than others?

You know what’s fun about being the trainer of Artur is that he’s a very good boxer and he can do a little bit of everything. He can box. He can put pressure. He can slug. We’ve done all of that already. I remember when we fought Tavoris Cloud, who was also a pressure fighter and a powerful guy. Everybody was expecting Artur to move around, but for that fight we determined that we were stronger. We had a better defense. We wanted to play fire against fire to start the fight. After that first round, we could see that Tavoris Cloud had nothing left in the tank. It was too much. We were beating him at his own game.

We have the option to do that [fire against fire], but we also have the option of boxing. We have many options with Artur, because he is a complete fighter.

What does this fight mean for you and your career?

It means a lot. A fighter or a coach will always try to motivate himself and challenge himself for new objectives. I have world champions, but right now this is another step. Having a unified champion and making sure we will get not only three but maybe four [titles]...this is the objective. This keeps motivating the boxer and also the coach.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Beterbiev-Gvozdyk

A pound of flesh. 

That famous Shakespearean phrase from "The Merchant of Venice" raced through my mind as I watched Artur Beterbiev's performance against Oleksandr Gvozdyk from ringside on Friday. Sure, Gvozdyk scored points early in the fight and may have gotten the better of individual exchanges, but in many of those moments Beterbiev was still able to connect with a thudding right to the body or a right over the top. Beterbiev did lose some early rounds; however, he was unceasing in exacting his pound of flesh. 

Beterbiev had bricks in his hands and a massive advantage in punching power. In the ninth round Gvozdyk started to succumb to the body assault, bending over from the waist, looking for any reason to clinch, hold or delay the proceedings. By the tenth round, he couldn't withstand the onslaught any further. Taking a knee three times in the round, he submitted. The weight of all of those pounds of flesh had accumulated, and Beterbiev would exit the Philadelphia night as a unified light heavyweight titlist and one of boxing's supreme destructive forces. 

Photo Courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

I'm not sure what more Gvozdyk could have done without having made radical changes to his style. He boxed well at different stages of the fight. He used angles and turned Beterbiev. He successfully limited Beterbiev's offense throughout a lot of the first eight rounds. Perhaps Gvozdyk could have thrown an uppercut more frequently. Beterbiev would bend his head forward after connecting on counter shots; the uppercut was there for him. Maybe Gvozdyk could have played hit-and-run. 

But to win the fight and not just survive, Gvozdyk had to hold his ground and fight, even if doing so selectively. And although he's a solid puncher, and landed several of his best rights during the match, his power just couldn't compare. Beterbiev's missiles, even if they were sparse in number, had their desired impact.

Power is the great equalizer in boxing. Gvozdyk had greater hand and foot speed. He possessed a more comprehensive arsenal of punches. He was a better combination puncher. But ultimately it was power and not the myriad check marks on a head-to-head comparison that proved to be the difference. 

Don't let the "skills pay the bills" crowd off the hook. Skills are nice, and often they are separators in title fights. But elite skills don't guarantee victory. In the round-robin of boxing styles, no one ring style consistently wins. And on Friday it was power that reigned supreme.

This is not to suggest that Beterbiev is a one-dimensional crude banger. Much of his work on Friday was a product of solid training and expert execution. He landed short left hooks in between Gvozdyk's gloves because there was a small gap in Gvozdyk's glove positioning; Beterbiev exploited that opening. In addition, the right hand counters to the top of the head were unfurled with little hesitation. It was clear that those particular punches had been drilled into him leading up to the fight. Beterbiev and his team saw that Gvozdyk took fractionally longer than needed to return his hands to a defensively responsible position. Also, Beterbiev fired those right hands to the body because they were available. He capitalized on that opportunity.

Let's also take a moment to credit Beterbiev for his chin and conditioning. Gvozdyk connected with his best right hands in the third, fifth and eighth rounds. They did affect Beterbiev, but not enough to knock him down, or even make him revise his game plan. Beterbiev, who had previously been dropped twice in his career, had no issues with his chin on Friday. 

In addition, even in many of the rounds that Gvozdyk won, Beterbiev was the fighter who closed more authoritatively in those frames. His overall performance in the fight was not just based on power. He was only able to execute his game plan and withstand Gvozdyk's offensive firepower because he was in such fantastic shape.   

Beterbiev might not have done anything particularly flashy on Friday, but he didn't need to. He stayed within himself. He didn't panic after failing to dominate the early portions of the fight. Like a seasoned pro he paced himself and didn't burn himself out trying to force a knockout.  

Artur deserves further credit for putting forth that type of performance against the best opponent of his career. Gvozdyk is no Enrico Koelling. He's one of the best at light heavyweight and presented Beterbiev with a series of problems early in the fight. And in Beterbiev's previous 14 bouts, he had rarely been tested, especially in the second half of a match. (In fact, Friday's fight was only the second time Beterbiev had to go past seven rounds.) 

Photo Courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

There sometimes exists a tendency in boxing for fighters and their trainers to overthink a game plan when preparing for a big fight, to change what had worked previously. Beterbiev never had faced an opponent with Gvozdyk's versatility and skill level. Yet Beterbiev and head trainer Marc Ramsay went the other way in their fight preparation. They further simplified the game plan: Take what's available, focus on two or three specific types of shots, and trust the power. 

Ramsay has helped to engineer a number of huge wins at light heavyweight, such as Jean Pascal over Chad Dawson, Eleider Alvarez against Sergey Kovalev and now Beterbiev’s performance over Gvozdyk. He has an acute understanding of opponents and uses their fighting styles against them. He studied Dawson's passivity, Kovalev's problems with his gas tank and Gvozdyk's predilection for combination punching. Each of these opponents presented unique problems and opportunities, and like a grand chess master Ramsay figured out how to exploit weaknesses, or even perceived strengths. 

Ultimately Beterbiev and Ramsay used Gvozdyk's strengths against him. Yes, Oleksandr would land flashy three-punch combinations, but those moments also provided opportunities for Beterbiev to counter with something big. Gvozdyk's trainer, Teddy Atlas, noted in the lead up to the fight that they can't be too greedy, that giving a puncher too many opportunities was a problem. And perhaps in hindsight Gvozdyk may have fallen victim to this just a little too often. 

Gvozdyk mostly fought his fight, in the style in which he was accustomed to. He was up on two of the cards prior to the 10th round (I also had him up one point at that juncture). To win Saturday's match perhaps he needed to fight in a radically different manner. Perhaps one shot and get out of the pocket. Maybe back-footing Beterbiev with pot-shots. However, those adjustments would have involved massive changes, which may have caused even greater problems for a fighter not used to that style. Gvozdyk competed on Friday, he performed well. He was just bettered. 

Beterbiev now emerges as the top fighter at light heavyweight and I'm not sure too many top guys in the division will be rushing to face that version of hell. On one hand he's at the advanced age of 34, but consider that he's only had 15 pro fights and so few opponents have been able to push him. He certainly could have a few years at the top of the division. 

But whatever happens throughout the rest of his career, and even if he's unable to land another unification match at 175 lbs., the boxing world now fully grasps his devastating dimensions. He's a problem, a killer. He's destruction incarnate. And he waits for the next brave man. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Gvozdyk-Beterbiev Fight Week Notes

The first impression that one receives from the Artur Beterbiev camp is that no expense was spared during training for his light heavyweight unification match against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. (The fight will be held on Friday at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia; ESPN will televise.) Beterbiev trained in Russia for 21 days at high altitude before coming back to Montreal for an eight-week camp. Head trainer Marc Ramsay said at a meet-and-greet on Tuesday night that they had used seven sparring partners in preparation for Gvozdyk. Iceman John Scully has been working with Ramsay as an assistant trainer to bring an additional perspective into camp. Top-shelf cutman Russ Anber (who has trained fighters as well) is also a member of Team Beterbiev. 

***

"I never think about a knockout. I'm prepared to go 12 rounds every fight. If the knockout comes, it comes." Despite Beterbiev's 100% knockout ratio in his 14 professional fights, Beterbiev and Ramsay are quick to point out that the fighter possesses far more in the ring than just a big punch. Although Scully indicated in a Ring Magazine interview earlier this week that they plan to be aggressive, Ramsay was far more circumspect at the event on Tuesday night and at the media roundtable on Wednesday. 

Artur Beterbiev
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

Even though Ramsay stated that Beterbiev has the best power that he has ever seen at light heavyweight, he believes that the fighter can offer a lot more in the ring than he has shown thus far in his career. Ramsay noted Artur's considerable amateur success and indicated that Beterbiev was comfortable slugging it out or boxing. 

***

"I don't have a problem. They have a problem." Early in Beterbiev's professional career Ramsay wanted to test the fighter against Jean Pascal and Eleider Alvarez (both have won a title at light heavyweight). Ramsay told Artur that he would be in tough, yet as Artur said above, he wasn't too concerned. What's clear is that even from his nascent days as a professional Artur has not lacked confidence. 

*** 

"When I was an amateur, I was boxing for my dream. Now it's my job." Beterbiev made no secret that when he's not working at his job he disconnects from the sport. He didn't see last week's fight that featured fellow light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol and he doesn't plan to watch the big Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev matchup next month. Boxing is what he does and what he's good at, but when away from the sport he prefers to spend time with his wife and four children. As a corollary, he doesn't think about future opponents or potentially winning belts in other weight classes. Once a fight is about to be made he then focuses on that opponent, but he's not swept up by long-range plans or goals.  

***

"This is the first time we have had momentum in a long time and Artur is right where he needs to be." In a 22-month span between December 2016 and October 2018, Beterbiev fought only once. Embroiled in promotional issues and a corresponding lawsuit, Beterbiev spent a lot of that prime period of his career on the shelf. After fighting in May of this year and now returning to the ring in October, Beterbiev, according to Ramsay, is back on track. Artur admitted how difficult that period was for him, but is now happy that he only needs to focus on boxing. 

***

Beterbiev and Gvozdyk share some common thoughts in the lead up to the fight. Both dismissed their amateur bout that happened 10 years ago in which Beterbiev won, understanding that each has changed and grown as boxers in the interim. In addition, despite the tense political climate between Russia and Ukraine (Beterbiev is from Russia, Gvozdyk from Ukraine), both fighters declined to inject politics into this matchup. They are here to prove themselves in the light heavyweight division and that is the only statement they would like to make.

***

"Teddy is a good person. And in boxing there aren't many good people out there...With Teddy, there's no room for argument. He's very smart and pays attention to even the smallest detail. Everyone knows the basics, but Teddy has that attention to detail that I like. He's a smart dictator." When the initial paring of Gvozdyk and trainer Teddy Atlas was announced last year, that was viewed within the industry as an unconventional pick. Atlas had mostly stopped training fighters and focused primarily on his ESPN duties. 

Oleksandr Gvozdyk
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

But it's clear that after a few fights (including a title-winning effort against Adonis Stevenson) they have enjoyed working together. Gvozdyk, a cerebral fighter, has responded to Atlas's intensive focus on technical improvements and ring craft. With Gvozdyk, Atlas believes that he has a willing disciple, a fighter willing to put in the work, to make needed sacrifices. Atlas in addition respects how Gvozdyk can think clearly under pressure, a trait that he believes few fighters possess. 

***

"The best punch sometimes is the one you don't throw." Atlas spoke about some of the areas of improvement for Gvozdyk. He shared an anecdote from a training session they had when they started working together. Gvozdyk threw a punch and came forward. Atlas immediately questioned his fighter and asked him why he came forward. Gvozdyk didn't have an answer. To Atlas, everything – punches, movements, decisions – must be purposeful. One of the areas where he has worked with Gvozdyk has been on decision making. To Atlas there was an additional level of discipline that needed to be added to Gvozdyk's fighting style. As Atlas said on Wednesday, "There has to be a reason to do something in the ring. You have to know why."

***

"One of my challenges was to find his definitive ring identity." Atlas saw lots to like with Gvozdyk, but in his belief the fighter could be caught between styles. Gvozdyk always had excellent footwork, athleticism, coordination and offensive creativity, but Atlas didn't think that he used his height and reach enough. These were aspects that they worked on for the Stevenson fight and continue to perfect. 

***

"When fighting a puncher, there's a reminder that there's no room for mistakes. There needs to be 36 minutes of concentration. Oleksandr can't fight 2:59 of a round; he needs to fight three minutes a round, and one round at a time. There can't be any switching off. There is no margin for error." 

Teddy Atlas
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

Atlas and Gvozdyk prepared for one of the biggest punchers in the division in Stevenson and now face perhaps the premier light heavyweight knockout artist. They know the risks inherent with taking on such dangerous opponents, but they also understand that certain opportunities are created when facing punchers, whether it's the tendency for punchers to wait, or sometimes their habit of falling out of position when missing shots. Despite Beterbiev's firepower, Atlas realizes that Gvozdyk must assert himself offensively and needs to find moments to get the better of his opponent. And even though Stevenson and Beterbiev are both massive punchers, Atlas believes that Friday's fight will look much different in the ring than the Stevenson bout. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.
snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.