June 18 in New York (USA) at the small arena of the iconic sports complex Madison Square Garden light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) from Russia and Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) from the USA will determine the owner of three belts in this weight in a head-to-head fight. In the meantime, the fighter from the Russian Federation has the WBC and IBF titles, and the American underdog has the WBO belt.
Ex-coach and current boxing analyst outrageous Teddy Atlas
shared the forecast: “Oh, those guys are monsters. They don’t play. They don’t pretend. These are smart fighters, technically well equipped. Smith, too, has matured a lot lately. He has clearly improved, gained experience. And, unlike Beterbiev, he has room to grow, because he did not have the same school in the amateurs. Do not forget that the Russian has about 300-400 fights behind him. As far as I remember, he became the world champion in amateurs. Understand that such seasoned people from amateur boxing have a minus – they have practically nowhere to grow and develop as professionals.
“This is where I see Smith’s advantage,” the specialist said. – He is no less cool than Beterbiev. He is not less resistant psychologically. He is good. And his blow is not weaker than that of Beterbiev. So it will be just a monstrous fight. No it won’t be a race between Ferrari and Porsche at speeds above 200 mph. This will monster truck battle. And if you like it, then they will not disappoint you. These dudes don’t know how else – they will come out with the intention of probing the opponent from head to toe in an attempt to find a weak spot.
“They will find out which of them is ready to look into their darkest corners. Who is ready to survive under the bombardment, come back and find a way to win. This is what this fight will be like. And at the same time they will box wisely. It will be both a fight and a technical confrontation. Hell fight! Power, aggression, body punches. Everything will be! And, of course, it is very likely that both will receive maximum damage before the final gong. I won’t even be surprised if everything is decided by a banal thing – the strength of the chin. But something else may well decide – who is a little smarter, who is a little more technical. It is even possible that just the one who jabs better will win, ”the expert argues.
And we didn’t beat around the bush and named the favorite – here is our forecast and bets for this fight. And here is how his sparring partner says about Beterbiev: “A demon in the ring and an angel outside.”
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