Defeated in the last fight, the coach of the American ex-champion of the light heavyweight division (up to 79.4 kg) Joe Smith Jr. (28-4, 22 KOs) Andre Rozier gave an interview to a local reporter.
After the fight, the offender of Smith Jr., the unified champion from Canada Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs), expressed a desire to rise to the heavy (up to 90.7 kg), and then to the heavyweight division (over 90.7 kg). Rosier spoke on this topic and the topic of a possible Beterbiev fight against Ukrainian unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs).
– After the fight, Beterbiev said that he wanted Bivol in the next fight. If he is successful, then after this fight he wants to move up to the cruiser, and then to the heavyweight. How do you see him in cruiserweight?
Cruiserweight is cruiserweight. This division is a stepping stone before heavyweight. The guys are just moving from cruiserweight to heavyweight. I think he can be successful there. Maybe some of the best guys out there will give him a hard time because he’s going to be smaller than most cruisers. And now they are really big. They’re starting to be giants now, like in the heavyweight division. Therefore, I think it will be difficult for him with the best representatives of the division. But he can show his wares, make noise and fuss with them, and he knows how to hit. I think he can do well in cruisers.
Do you think he is capable of winning the world cruiser title?
– It’s possible. With the right opponent in the right situation. It’s always a possibility. You can plan these things and implement them.
What are your thoughts on Beterbiev in the heavyweight division?
– Forget about it.
– No chance at all?
– No chance at all! Beterbiev vs Tyson Fury – forget about it. Destruction [смеётся].
Bivol vs Beterbiev? Now or never, says the promoter
“So you think his relentlessness and his punching power and everything else won’t carry over to heavyweight?”
– I’ll tell you so. Wilder is one of the hardest hitters on the planet. Beterbiev knows how to hit, but Wilder can knock out the Empire State Building if he hits it right. He hit Tyson several times, but Tyson got up and stopped him. I’ve said enough about it.
– I understood you. So his ceiling will be cruiserweight, but not heavyweight?
– Exactly. If you want to move on and test your heavyweight abilities, that’s great. I welcome it. But it can be very dangerous, because these guys are big, strong and every one of them knows how to hit.
“I need to ask one more thing. He fought Usyk three times as an amateur. He beat him the first time, and after that, Usyk beat him twice. Usyk is now the heavyweight champion. Don’t you think that the story with Usyk as an amateur can develop into a future fight between them?
– No, because over time they have formed a different physical condition. Usyk has always been a big guy. Even for a cruiserweight, it was big. He’s not that big a heavyweight, but he’s big enough to be there because he’s the division champion. Therefore, there is a difference in size. This will undoubtedly have an effect.