Artur Beterbiev vs. Marcus Browne | ESPN - December 17, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release | Dicaire vs. Lozano, Clavel vs. Gomez Title Fights Added

As officially announced last week, a big boxing night is set for Friday, December 17 at the Bell Center in Montreal. Three world championship fights and four world belts will be contested there as part of this gala presented by Top Rank and Groupe Yvon Michel.

As the main attraction, unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (16-0-0, 16 KOs) will face WBC # 1 contender Marcus Browne (24-1-0, 16 KOs). The IBF & WBC light heavyweight titles belonging to the proud Chechen will be at stake in this explosive fight.

A Montrealer by adoption, Beterbiev is at the top of his game. In a fight against him, no one has so far been able to reach the limit. His mandatory New Jersey contender is a 30-year-old southpaw veteran who is known for his boxing skills.

In the super welterweight division, ex-IBF world champion Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-1-0) will have the opportunity to regain her title against the powerful IBF # 5 rated Cynthia Lozano (9-0-0, 7 KOs) from Monterrey, Mexico. Dicaire will be in her 6th career world championship fight. She will try to become the 4th pugilist in Quebec to regain a world belt after Lou Brouillard in 1933, Arturo Gatti in 2004, and Jean Pascal in 2019.

“I am absolutely excited to participate in an event of this magnitude. Three world championships on the same map, it's an incredible evening, never seen before! Following my loss to Clarissa Shields, I mentioned that I was going to use this experience as a springboard, to come back stronger. Now is my chance and I guarantee I will take it,” DiCaire said.

Quebec light flyweight Kim Clavel (14-0-0, 2 KOs), who very recently captured the WBC Silver title, will try to dethrone WBC champion Yesenia Gomez (18-5-3, 6 KOs). Gomez will defend her position for the 5th time since 2018. Clavel could become the 19th Quebec pugilist to conquer a world boxing title, from Jack Delaney in 1925 to the GYM’s Joachim Alcine in 2007.

"At last! After 15 years of boxing, my dream is coming true. I finally arrive at the most exciting moment of my athletic life: stepping into the ring for a world championship title. I know that facing Yesenia Gomez, who has been the longtime WBC light flyweight champion, is a tall order. I'm ready mentally and physically, I have what it takes to emerge victorious from this fight with the WBC light flyweight belt around my waist,” Clavel commented.

[Mexi-Box]

I wouldn't be surprised if Beterbiev gets upset. He's injury prone and aging.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Marcus Browne On Working With Derrick James: I Felt Like This Is Where I Need To Be

Marcus Browne could not have asked for a better time to link up with one of the top trainers in the sport today.

The veteran light heavyweight contender took a leap of faith in relocating to Dallas where he is now working with Derrick James. The move from the East Coast didn’t happen in a New York minute for Browne, who put a lot of thought in the switch in coaches ahead of the biggest fight of his pro career as he challenges lineal/WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16KOs).

James is the current head trainer for unified WBC/IBF welterweight titlist Errol Spence (27-0, 21KOs) and lineal/WBC/WBA/IBF junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18KOs). Browne’s longtime friendship with Spence—including their time spent as part of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team—played a role in the decision to head south for this fight.

“I spoke to Errol probably a year and a half ago, to be honest, before I moved here,” Browne told BS.com during a press conference to discuss the championship clash. “I just was planting the seeds before making the move here.

“The stars were aligned. Errol wasn’t fighting. Jermell was not fighting. [James] wasn’t super busy. So, we got to work in the gym. I was learning and growing. I felt like this is where I need to be.”

Browne (24-1, 16KOs) previously spent the bulk of his boxing life—amateur and pro—with Andre Rozier and Gary Stark Jr. before making the final decision earlier this summer to make a change. It came after the Staten Island native returned to the win column with a ten-round decision over Denis Grachev this past April, 20 months following a technical decision defeat to Jean Pascal in August 2019.

The move to Dallas came as a bit of a surprise to James, who was still in Las Vegas with Spence for what at the time was a planned August 21 superfight with former eight division champion Manny Pacquiao. Spence was denied the opportunity after a torn retina was discovered during a pre-fight MRI test, having only recently gained clearance to return to the ring.

By the time James and the team returned home, Browne was already acclimated to new surroundings and eager to hit the ground running.

“We were in Vegas, when he moved to Dallas,” James explained of the move during a previous installment of The PBC Podcast with Kenneth Bouhairie and Michael Rosenthal. “I caught up when I came back in town. He came down to the gym and worked out.

“After that, he asked if I asked he could work him out. I normally don’t do that, I don’t mess with other people’s fighters. But we worked him out and that was it.”

Browne and James quickly gelled, with the 31-year-old southpaw feeling at home and embracing the change of pace.

“I feel like I’m in training camp every day,” Browne said of the move. “It’s much slower. You get to think, get to plan things and knock ‘em down. It’s not a hustle and bustle city.”

Beterbiev-Browne will headline an ESPN+ broadcast on December 17 from Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

[adislav123]

I wouldn't be surprised if Beterbiev gets upset. He's injury prone and aging.

take a look at the man ffs! injuriees can always happen, he's 'aging'? alright! and of course at 35 he won't improve physically, but as said, for effs sake, look at beterbiev. made of frikkin stone! he'll just take browne apart systematically!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Artur Beterbiev looking for knockout against Marcus Browne on Dec.17th

Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KOs) will be looking to register his 17th consecutive knockout next month when he defends his IBF & WBC light heavyweight titles against his WBC mandatory challenger Marcus ‘Sir’ Browne (24-1, 16 KOs) at the Bell Centre in Monreal on ESPN+.

The two-time Russian Olympian Beterbiev wants to stay on a crash course for a potential mega-fight against Canelo Alvarez in 2022 or 2023.

The Mexican superstar Canelo let Top Rank promoter Bob Arum know last September that he’s interested in challenging Beterbiev or his two 175-lb titles soon.

Arum says whether the Canelo-Beterbiev fight takes place will be up to Canelo’s trainer & manager, Eddy Reynoso. If he believes Canelo is up to the challenge to take on the heavy-handed Beterbiev, the fight will happen.

The 2012 U.S Olympian Browne, 31, is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision win over Denis Grachev last April. Before that, Browne was beaten by former WBC 175-lb champion Jean Pascal by an eight round technical decision in August 2019.

Beterbiev heading towards undisputed

“Artur Beterbiev is one of the pound-for-pound great fighters in boxing today, a fearsome puncher, a great crowd-pleaser,” said Beterbiev’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank. “In Marcus Browne, he fights his #1 contender.

“The light heavyweight division is alive and well,” Arum continued. “Joe Smith, the WBO light heavyweight champion, will be fighting in mid-January for the world title, and we hope before the end of the year.

Next year, the titles will be unified [at 175], and the unified champion with all four titles can meet perhaps Canelo Alvarez, who is always on the lookout for opponents.

“We believe Artur Beterbiev is by far the best light heavyweight in the world and will conquer whoever is put before him.

“I know that our good friends at PBC and Tom Brown believe that Marcus Browne is a terrific fighter and capable of beating Beterbiev, and that’s why fighters go into the ring to test out who is the best.

“It should be a great, great night of boxing at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and I can’t wait for it to happen.

“I can’t wait for this 90-year-old guy, which I will be by then, to go to my first country outside of the United States.

“I think it’s possible for it to be in Canada because the first fight I promoted was in Toronto, Canada, almost 57 years ago when Ali fought Chavalo.

“So I can’t wait to go back to Canada. Thank God, the border is open both ways, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all on December 17th,” said Arum.

Beterbiev needs a wins over Browne, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and WBO champ Joe Smith Jr. to become the undisputed champion at 175.

It’ll be an easy fight for Arum to make between Beterbiev and Smith Jr. in 2022, as he promotes both guys. Putting a contest together with Bivol will be more complicated for Arum, as he’s with Eddie Hearn and his Matchroom Boxing promotional company.

Before Beterbiev can think of unification fights, he needs to focus on getting past Browne.

Browne is perhaps Beterbiev’s toughest career fight, more brutal than his match against former WBC 175-lb champion Oleksandr Gvozyk in 2019.

Canelo wants Beterbiev fight

“If Eddy [Reynoso’s okays the fight, then Eddy believes Canelo has the talent to beat Beterbiev,” said Arum to Fight hub TV.

“If Eddy doesn’t okay the fight, then Eddy doesn’t believe Canelo is ready for Beterbiev and 175 for a puncher like Beterbiev may be a bridge too far.

“Canelo sat next to be in the Valdez fight, and he indicated to me that Beterbiev is a good possibility,” said Arum.

Canelo is moving up to cruiserweight to challenge WBC champion Ilunga Makabu in early 2022. If Canelo wins that fight, he might return to 168 to face Gennady Golovkin.

[margaret thatcher]

makabu and then bert , canelo would enhance his already studness if he did that

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!

[Enlightened-One]

Artur Beterbiev has only defeated one opponent over the last 26 months, which was (by his own admission) his poor performance against Adam Deines.

Marcus Browne has only defeated one opponent over the last 35 months, when he beat Denis Grachev (the journeyman Russian has lost eight bouts within the last 2½ years).

Artur Beterbiev is only a few weeks away of his 37th birthday and has been very inactive.

So I think he’s going to be one of those fighters that’ll suddenly grow old overnight, in front of our eyes inside the ring, resulting in him suffering a sudden and shocking upset loss, but I don’t think that an inactive fighter, like Marcus Browne, is the man the inflict the first blemish on Beterbiev’s resume.

That said, the betting odds for this bout seem very unrealistic to me, especially considering 2021 has been regarded as the year of the upset.

According to 10Bet & Sport Nation, Artur Beterbiev is deemed as being 94.1% certain of defeating Marcus Browne (1/16), with the underdog rated by the same websites as only having a 13.8% chance of victory (25/4).

I don’t agree with the betting odds, Beterbiev-Browne isn’t a mismatch.

Anyway, I expect Beterbiev to comfortably defeat Browne and then I’d love to see Artur engage in a meaningful bout, against a strong hydrated iteration of Callum Smith.

And looking at the WBC’s rankings, coupled with the financial backing of DAZN/Matchroom, it might happen soon!

[margaret thatcher]

im picking bert but putting a bet on browne

[apollo creed]

If Beterbiev still has enough gas left in his tank , he should stop Browne. Pascal dropped hard Browne a few times.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Browne On Pascal PED Scandal: It Is What It Is; Our Fight Happened, Loss Is On My Record - There's No Excuse

“It is what it is. I don’t care about it,” Browne noted when asked of the drug testing scandal, while otherwise speaking with reporters for his upcoming challenge of lineal/WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev “The fight happened already, the loss is on my record. There’s no excuse. I made mistakes that night anyway. It is what it is.”

“This is boxing. Wins and losses come. You just have to bounce back and move forward,” notes Browne. “I didn’t want to dwell on it, just focused on what’s in front of me

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Cent0089]

Surprise, Beterbiev failed to make a weight

[margaret thatcher]

did he try again

marcus gonna do it??

[Ruthless-RKO]

He was only 175.2 pounds

Slightly over.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Below are the weights for the first five fights ESPN+ will stream Friday, starting at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT.

Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-1, 0 KOs), Quebec, Canada, 153 pounds vs. Cynthia Lozano (9-0, 7 KOs), Monterrey, Mexico, 151.2 pounds, 10 rounds for the vacant IBF junior middleweight title.

Steve Rolls (20-1, 11 KOs), Toronto, 166.8 pounds vs. Christopher Brooker (16-8, 6 KOs), Philadelphia, 166.4 pounds, 10 rounds, super middleweights.

Yan Pellerin (12-1, 5 KOs), Granby, Quebec, Canada, 199 pounds vs. Francisco Rivas (15-2, 5 KOs), Allende, Mexico, 198.2 pounds, 10 rounds for the vacant NABO cruiserweight title.

Arthur Biyarslanov (8-0, 6 KOs), Toronto, 139.6 pounds vs. Alan Ayala Crisosto (9-2, 5 KOs), Guadalajara, Mexico, 138.8 pounds, 8 rounds, junior welterweights.

Batyrzhan Jukembayev (18-1, 14 KOs), Montreal, 150.4 pounds vs. Juan Jose Martinez (28-10, 20 KOs), Mexico City, 158 pounds, 6 rounds, middleweights.

[ironbeard]

Browne On Pascal PED Scandal: It Is What It Is; Our Fight Happened, Loss Is On My Record - There's No Excuse

“It is what it is. I don’t care about it,” Browne noted when asked of the drug testing scandal, while otherwise speaking with reporters for his upcoming challenge of lineal/WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev “The fight happened already, the loss is on my record. There’s no excuse. I made mistakes that night anyway. It is what it is.”

“This is boxing. Wins and losses come. You just have to bounce back and move forward,” notes Browne. “I didn’t want to dwell on it, just focused on what’s in front of me

That is a refreshing attitude that influences me to root for Browne, if the fight even comes off.

Meanwhile, Beterbiev has treated the profession as more of a part time job, and comes in overweight, disrespecting his opponent and his profession.

[margaret thatcher]

ya i thought the same, i found myself 'fair playing' marcus the woman beater too, usually guys just find excuse after excuse

[apollo creed]

Artur should shave all his hair.


Marcus is in top shape and he seems very focused.

[ironbeard]

ya i thought the same, i found myself 'fair playing' marcus the woman beater too, usually guys just find excuse after excuse

Yes, the domestic violence issues are horrible (thanks for the reminder), but I tend to compartmentalize my opinions on boxers to boxing, for better or worse. I also believe in redemption and forgiveness.

That said, I have no idea if he deserves redemption, and it is not up to me to forgive him.

[Fightdoctor]

I think Marcus is mentally weak. His move to Derrick James was more so about building confidence, rubbing shoulders with the Charlo bros/Spence, train hard fight easy etc. I would have preferred for him to fight at least 2 more Denis Grachev type opponents before getting in there with Beterbiev. He cannot afford to stand in front of Bet for more than a sec or let his back touch the ropes. He will require constant movement and superior stamina to win rounds. I think once Bet starts touching his body he will unravel. I picked Beterbiev by 8 rd stoppage.

[ironbeard]

I think Marcus is mentally weak. His move to Derrick James was more so about building confidence, rubbing shoulders with the Charlo bros/Spence, train hard fight easy etc. I would have preferred for him to fight at least 2 more Denis Grachev type opponents before getting in there with Beterbiev. He cannot afford to stand in front of Bet for more than a sec or let his back touch the ropes. He will require constant movement and superior stamina to win rounds. I think once Bet starts touching his body he will unravel. I picked Beterbiev by 8 rd stoppage.

Thanks for the excellent rundown. I think that you are likely to be on target, although I would love to see Marcus execute to near perfection and get the decision victory.

[liamcarey]

Really don't know why but I seriously think we are gonna see a new champion here, although Beterbiev isn't as old as Povetkin, we all saw how much COVID affected him in his rematch with Whyte. If Browne can box on the outside with his length and frustrate Beterbiev early in the fight, could definitely see Artur gassing himself in the later ends and giving Browne a chance to steal later rounds. Either or I don't think the Pascal fight is a fair example of Browne's skill, gotta take a look at the demolition job he did on a primer Badou Jack. Keen on a good fight

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date: Friday December 17, 2021
Location: Bell Centre - Montréal, QC
TV: ESPN+ | Sky Sports Main Event

Start Times
ESPN+ | Sky Sports Main Event: 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT | 1 am GMT (Main Card)

Promoted by: Top Rank

Main Card

Unified WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight Championship
Artur Beterbiev vs. Marcus Browne

Vacant IBF Super Welterweight Championship
Marie-Eve Dicaire vs. Cynthia Lozano

10 Round Super Middleweight Bout
Steve Rolls vs. Christopher Brooker

Vacant WBO NABO Cruiserweight Championship
Yan Pellerin vs. Francisco Rivas

8 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Movladdin Biyarslanov vs. Alan Ayala Crisosto

6 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Batyrzhan Jukembayev vs. Juan Jose Martinez

Prelim Card

8 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Mazlum Akdeniz vs. Arturo Bustamante

8 Round Havyweight Bout
Brandon Moore vs. Abraham Pascual

[lazboy]

Looking forward to the main event. Browne is a decent opponent.