ARTUR BETERBIEV VS. ARCHIE MOORE
is good for knocking …” he almost says “motherfuckers out” but catches himself in mid-stream: “... fighters O.U.T.” Moore adds, “I knocked down Marciano and took all he could throw at me, and this guy is not a Marciano. I knocked out killer punchers Bob Satterfield and Curtis ‘Hatchetman’ Sheppard, powerful Harold Johnson, the avoided duo of Holman Williams and Lloyd Marshall. I’ve been there before, gentlemen, and I’ll be ready.” “One last question, Archie,” says a reporter. “Who are your sparring partners?” Moore replies, “Matthew Saad Muhammad, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Michael Spinks.” Gray chimes in: “If I may, Archie. Harold Johnson will be coming in next week, too, with another surprise.” “If there are no more questions, that’s it for today. I will be leaving for Saudi Arabia two to three weeks before the fight.” U p in Montreal, Artur Beterbiev is in the middle of a punishing workout in Marc Ramsay’s Boxing Academy gym under the watchful eyes of his strength coach, Andre Kulesza. He just finished doing sets of deadlifts, power cleans, bench presses and heavy squats, which they are recording to put on YouTube. Then it was on to pushups – all the way down and up, two hand claps and down again until failure. Afterward, Beterbiev pounded the heavy sledgehammer into a tire and then switched to two drilling hammers, throwing uppercuts with them into the tire until the sweat poured from him. Next it was the incline abdominal board, working his core, and then throwing a medicine ball into the wall, catching it on the rebound. Then he grabbed a long barbell handle with no weights and twisted it to work his forearms. Finally, he did his jump rope routine and was done for the day. He’d already put in 10 rounds of sparring, heavy bag work and unique speed bag drills that incorporated short, compact punches from the side. His roadwork was
done early in the morning. Now Beterbiev is ready for his interview. He seems impervious to fatigue as the reporters crowd around him and start asking questions. They are the same questions as always and the same responses from Artur, always a gentleman, never bragging, never making predictions. “What do you think of Archie Moore?” Artur responds, “A great fighter.” “How do you think you will do in the fight?” “The best I can.” “Do you see any weaknesses in Moore?” “We will see on fight night.” “What is your strategy in the fight, Artur?” “Best to ask my trainers. I will be ready to make a good fight no matter what happens.” “Did you watch Moore’s fights on film?” “Yes, we watch them together as a team. I see he is a great boxer and strong puncher. So am I. So it will be a good fight. Thank you.” F ast-forward to three weeks before the fight in Riyadh. Both fighters are taking an early morning run on the city streets and unexpectedly cross paths toward the end, right near the Mike Tyson Boxing Club. Archie stops and waves a sincere hello to Artur, who waves back. They both stop for a moment. They never got to speak to each other at the press conferences. Archie greets him as they get closer, saying, “As-salamu alaykum” (“Peace be upon you”). Artur smiles back affectionately at the greeting. Artur gives the traditional response, then says, “It will be an honor to be in the ring with you. We will have a good fight and be friends afterward.” “We definitely will, no matter what happens,” Archie says, and adds, “Thanks for giving me a chance at the title.” They shake hands and continue their runs as both training camps’ accompanying members smile at the mutual show of respect they have just
witnessed. Archie says to Dick Sadler, who was close by, “I see something special in this guy. I really like him.” Sadler responds with, “Yeah, but don’t like him too much. We have to fight him.” FIGHT NIGHT The Kingdom Arena is filled to capacity. The commentators for the worldwide live stream are Al Bernstein, Randy Gordon and Dave Bontempo. The big screen hanging over the ring cuts to Moore’s dressing room. He is taping his own hands, as always. Ramsay, visiting from Beterbiev’s dressing room, is watching closely. Sadler is in Beterbiev’s dressing room watching Luc-Vincent Ouellet doing the wraps. Leaning against the wall in Moore’s dressing room are Cheerful and Hiawatha. Looming in the shadows are Big George Foreman and Sandy Saddler. Moore’s daughter J’Marie, a pro fighter herself, looks on lovingly with her sister Reena as their dad gets up and starts to shadowbox. A cheer rises as the crowd sees the dressing room scene – the fight is getting close. In Beterbiev’s dressing room, the taping is done. Artur is shadowboxing while Ice Scully watches approvingly, along with Ramsay, Ouellet and Kulesza. There is a large figure standing in the shadows, but the crowd cannot yet determine who it is. When the cameras are gone, Muhammad Ali emerges and embraces Beterbiev. He offers a prayer that both fighters will be blessed with good health after the bout. The ringside rows are adorned with celebrities who have made the trip to see this one-in-a-million battle for all the light heavyweight belts. Michael Buffer is going through the introductions with his inimitable style. Moore is summoned to the ring; the spotlights are on his entrance. He emerges resplendent in his white robe being led to the ring by Dick Sadler. Behind him is Foreman – whose
jungle cat fixing its gaze on its prey. Moore watched Callum Johnson knock Beterbiev down in the second round with a short counter left hook. His all-knowing eyes glinted dangerously as a brief smile of satisfaction appeared. He showered and took a breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice, dry toast and two hard-boiled eggs. The fight was seven weeks away and he was down to 188 pounds, well on the way to come in on time at 175. He shot a game of pool with his sparring partner, who shook his head in dismay as Archie cleared the table. “Minnesota Fats got nothing on you, Archie.” Moore smiled at him and said, “Got to get some rest, gentleman. The table is yours.” He took a nap and was up by 11 a.m. to get ready for the reporters, who would arrive at noon. When he’d been offered the fight in Saudi Arabia by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and Beterbiev’s team, he was elated. He finally felt he would be paid what he was worth as a lineal light heavyweight champion. The demons of regret still tore at him, reminding him at night about how he only made $800 for the first Joey Maxim title fight when Jack “Doc” Kearns painted him into a corner and made him agree to the $100,000 guarantee that took such a bite out of
and for bringing the boxing world to a higher level and showing the world what Muhammad Ali always did, that all men are brothers and for giving everyone who visits a royal welcome and hospitality. “I also want to thank Team Beterbiev for giving me a shot at all those belts, and I look forward to meeting Artur and shaking his hand.” “What do you know about Artur Beterbiev? Have you seen him fight?” “I’ve seen the films of his last 10 fights.” “What do you think about those fights, Archie?” “Let’s say I saw all I need to see! He is tough, skilled and strong, like many men I have fought before. He’s a pressure fighter. He is always coming forward punching, forcing his opponents to be on the defense. Strong, tough fighter.” “Archie, are you concerned about his knockout record and his strength training?” Moore tilts his head to the side and feigns exaggerated disbelief with widened eyes, which elicits a collective smile and ripples of laughter. He says, “Some guys are built for running through brick walls, some guys for moving refrigerators and some for posing on the beach. And then there is Archie Moore, the Old Mongoose, who
Preparation is relentless and laser- focused in both camps.
his purse. He also had to agree to have Kearns co-manage him and agree to a rematch with Maxim in order to get the title shot. Now he would be making $15 million. It would make up for all the short-end money he had to endure while globetrotting to get fights and learn his craft. His family meant everything to him, and now he could share this great fortune with his daughters and beloved wife, Joan. The boxing reporters from all the networks, streaming services, magazines and websites arrived. He met them outside with his cornermen in tow. Dick Sadler, Hiawatha Gray and James “Cheerful” Norman stood quietly on the side. The first question to Archie was, “Who is your manager now, Champ?” “I am managing myself,” Archie replied with no other explanation. “How do you feel about fighting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at Kingdom Arena for the first time?” “I am very excited and grateful to His Excellency for this great opportunity
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