History of Artur Beterbiev in Timeline

Artur Beterbiev is a Russian-Canadian professional boxer. He is known for having held the undisputed light-heavyweight championship from 2024 to 2025. During his championship reign, he also held the IBO and Ring magazine titles.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles

January 1985: Artur Beterbiev's Birth

In January 1985, Artur Asilbekovich Beterbiev was born. He is a Russian and Canadian professional boxer.

Others born on this day/year

2002: Last Undisputed Light-Heavyweight Champion Before Beterbiev

In 2002, Roy Jones Jr. was the last boxer to hold the undisputed light-heavyweight champion title before Artur Beterbiev.

2006: Competed in European Amateur Boxing Championships

In 2006, Artur Beterbiev competed as a light-heavyweight and heavyweight and won the European Amateur Boxing Championships beating Kenneth Egan and Ismail Sillakh among others. He beat Egor Mekhontsev but lost to two-time world champion Evgeny Makarenko.

2006: Won Gold at European Championships

In 2006, Artur Beterbiev won gold at the European Championships as an amateur.

2007: Competed in amateur boxing events

In 2007, Artur Beterbiev beat Oleksandr Usyk in Kaliningrad. He also beat future unified light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev in the semi-finals, and eventually beat Evgeny Makarenko in finals to qualify for the World Championships. In the finals of the World Championships he faced the little-known Abbos Atoev but lost in an upset.

2007: Won Silver Medal at World Championships

In 2007, Artur Beterbiev won a light-heavyweight silver medal at the World Championships as an amateur.

2008: Won Gold at World Cup

In 2008, Artur Beterbiev won gold at the World Cup as an amateur.

2008: Competed at the Olympics

In 2008, at the Olympics, Artur Beterbiev beat Kennedy Katende 15:3, then at the round of 16 he fell controversially to local boxer Zhang Xiaoping.

2009: Beterbiev defeated Gvozdyk in Turkey

In 2009, Artur Beterbiev fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Turkey as amateurs, resulting in a second-round stoppage win for Beterbiev.

2009: Won Gold at World Championships

In 2009, Artur Beterbiev won gold at the World Championships as an amateur.

2009: Won light heavyweight title at World Championships

In 2009, at the World Championships, Artur Beterbiev beat young Cuban Jose Larduet and Uzbek Elshod Rasulov to claim the light heavyweight title.

2010: Won Gold at European Championships

In 2010, Artur Beterbiev won gold at the European Championships as an amateur.

2011: Lost in Quarter-Finals at World Championships

In 2011, Artur Beterbiev lost in the quarter-finals to Oleksandr Usyk at the World Championships by 13–17.

2011: Usyk defeats Beterbiev at the World Championship

In 2011, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Artur Beterbiev at the World Championship.

2012: Reached Quarter-Finals at Olympics

In 2012, Artur Beterbiev reached the heavyweight quarter-finals at the Olympics as an amateur.

2012: Usyk defeats Beterbiev at the London Olympics

In 2012, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Artur Beterbiev at the London Olympics.

2012: Lost at the Olympics

In 2012, at the Olympics, Artur Beterbiev edged out Michael Hunter but lost again by 13–17 to Usyk.

July 2013: Won Professional Debut

On July 8, 2013, Artur Beterbiev won his professional debut via a second-round TKO over Christian Cruz at the Bell Centre. Beterbiev fought on the undercard of Jean Pascal vs. Lucian Bute, beating Gabriel Lecrosnier by TKO on the fourth round.

2013: Beterbiev's Contract Extended to 2015

Artur Beterbiev's original 2013 contract was extended to 2015.

2013: Beterbiev Arrives in Canada and Begins Collaboration with GYM

In 2013, Artur Beterbiev arrived in Canada and began working with Yvon Michel and the GYM team to develop his career.

2013: Professional Debut

In 2013, Artur Beterbiev debuted as a professional boxer and won his first 20 professional fights by knockout or stoppage.

September 2014: Won NABA title

On September 27, 2014, Artur Beterbiev faced Tavoris Cloud for the vacant NABA title. Beterbiev knocked Cloud out in round two, giving Beterbiev his first title.

December 2014: Won IBF North American and NABO titles

In December 2014, Artur Beterbiev stopped Jeff Page Jr. in two rounds, winning the vacant IBF North American and NABO light-heavyweight titles. He was also dropped for the first time in his professional career.

June 2015: Won WBO International light-heavyweight title

On June 12, 2015, Artur Beterbiev defeated Alexander Johnson, adding the vacant WBO International light-heavyweight title to his other four minor titles.

December 2015: Beterbiev fights Isidro Prieto

In December 2015, Artur Beterbiev had a bout with Isidro Prieto.

April 2016: Radivoje Kalajdzic loss to Marcus Browne

In April 2016, Radivoje Kalajdzic had a controversial 8-round split decision loss to Marcus Browne.

June 2016: Defeated Ezequiel Maderna

In June 2016, Artur Beterbiev defeated Ezequiel Maderna by round 4 TKO. He also had several title eliminators and world title shots fall through, including bouts against Sullivan Barrera, Igor Mikhalkin, and Sergey Kovalev.

2016: Had not fought twice in the same year since 2016

Before his unification fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019, Artur Beterbiev had not fought twice in the same year since 2016.

March 2017: Beterbiev's Contract Dispute

In March 2017, Artur Beterbiev argued that his contract with Yvon Michel had expired.

July 2017: World title eliminator fell through

In July 2017, Artur Beterbiev's world title eliminator against Enrico Kölling fell through due to contract dispute. The fight was scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN as part of a show including Jessie Magdaleno.

October 2018: Fought Callum Johnson for IBF Title

In October 2018, Artur Beterbiev fought Callum Johnson in a mandatory defense of his IBF world title in Chicago. The fight was aired live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

2018: Beterbiev Loses Legal Proceedings

In 2018, Artur Beterbiev lost legal proceedings and was ruled under contract to Yvon Michel until 2021.

March 2019: Signed with Top Rank

In March 2019, Artur Beterbiev signed a long-term promotional deal with Bob Arum's Top Rank. Beterbiev's fights were to be broadcast on ESPN.

2019: Yarde's defeat against Kovalev

In 2019, Anthony Yarde experienced his first defeat after being knocked out in his attempt at a world title fight against Sergey Kovalev.

2019: Unification Fight Against Oleksandr Gvozdyk

In 2019, Artur Beterbiev set up a unification fight against WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, which took place on October 18 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. They both fought each other in 2009 in Turkey in the amateurs, which saw Beterbiev come away with a second-round stoppage win.

March 2020: Fight with Meng Fanlong Scrapped

In March 2020, Artur Beterbiev's scheduled fight with Meng Fanlong was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

October 2020: Fight Announced Against Adam Deines

In October 2020, Artur Beterbiev's fight against Adam Deines was announced to take place on October 23 in Moscow, marking Beterbiev's first professional fight in his native Russia.

January 2021: Fight Postponed Due to COVID-19

In January 2021, Artur Beterbiev's fight against Adam Deines was postponed again due to Beterbiev testing positive for COVID-19, after previously being postponed due to a rib injury.

August 2021: Ordered to Make Mandatory Title Defense

In August 2021, Artur Beterbiev was ordered by the WBC to make a mandatory title defense against Marcus Browne. Top Rank won the purse bid with an offer of $1,005,000.

2021: Beterbiev Under Contract to Michel Until 2021

In 2021, Artur Beterbiev was under contract to Yvon Michel until this year, following a legal battle.

February 2022: Negotiations with Joe Smith Jr.

In February 2022, Top Rank boss Bob Arum revealed that Artur Beterbiev was in ongoing negotiations with WBO light-heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. for a unification bout in the summer.

April 2022: Beterbiev to Fight as Canadian

In April 2022, it was reported that Artur Beterbiev would fight as a Canadian in his expected unification bout with Joe Smith Jr. in June due to WBC and IBF decisions to bar fights involving boxers from Russia or Belarus.

June 2022: Unification Bout Announced

In June 2022, the unification bout between Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. was officially announced for June 18, to take place at the Hulu Theater in New York City.

January 2023: Beterbiev vs. Yarde Rescheduled

The fight between Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde was rescheduled to take place on January 28, 2023, at the O2 Arena Wembley.

March 2023: Beterbiev Ordered to Defend Title Against Smith

In March 2023, the WBC ordered Artur Beterbiev to make a mandatory title defense against Callum Smith. Top Rank won the purse bid with a $2,115,000 bid, guaranteeing Beterbiev $1,330,000 and Smith $571,000.

December 15, 2023: VADA Orders Additional Anti-Doping Tests on Beterbiev

On December 15, 2023, VADA ordered additional anti-doping tests on Artur Beterbiev after the atypical findings. A urine sample was collected.

December 2023: Controversy over Beterbiev's VADA Test Results

In December 2023, VADA results from Artur Beterbiev's urine and blood tests showed atypical findings with elevated levels of HGH and testosterone, sparking controversy but not leading to the cancellation of his fight. Follow-up tests showed normal levels.

December 21, 2023: Further Anti-Doping Tests on Beterbiev

On December 21, 2023, additional blood and urine samples were collected from Artur Beterbiev for anti-doping tests, following atypical findings in previous tests.

January 3, 2024: Final Anti-Doping Test Yields Negative Result for Beterbiev

On January 3, 2024, the final anti-doping test was conducted on Artur Beterbiev, and the blood sample yielded a negative result, following atypical findings in previous tests.

January 2024: Beterbiev vs. Smith Rescheduled

The fight between Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith was rescheduled to take place on January 13, 2024, at the Videotron Centre in Québec City after being postponed due to Beterbiev's jaw surgery.

June 2024: Beterbiev Withdraws from Bivol Fight

In June 2024, Artur Beterbiev was expected to face Dmitry Bivol, but he withdrew on May 3 after suffering a ruptured meniscus. Malik Zinad replaced Beterbiev against Bivol on June 1.

October 2024: Beterbiev Made Honorary Citizen of Chechen Republic

In October 2024, following his win over Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev was made an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic by Ramzan Kadyrov.

2024: Became Undisputed Light-Heavyweight Champion

In 2024, Artur Beterbiev held the undisputed light-heavyweight championship.

June 2025: Devonte Williams loses to Deon Nicholson

In June 2025, Deon Nicholson achieved a fourth-round stoppage victory over Devonte Williams.

June 2025: Beterbiev's contract with Top Rank not renewed

In June 2025, Top Rank did not renew Beterbiev's contract, making him a free agent.

July 2025: Bivol and Beterbiev propose trilogy in Russia

In July 2025, Bivol and Beterbiev proposed the trilogy could be held in Russia with different organizers. Beterbiev later expressed frustration on Instagram about the delay.

November 2025: Beterbiev to Face Deon Nicholson in November 2025

It was revealed that Artur Beterbiev would return to the ring on November 22, 2025, facing Deon Nicholson as part of the "Ring IV: Night of the Champions" undercard in Riyadh. However, the fight was later cancelled.

2025: Reign as Undisputed Champion Ends

In 2025, Artur Beterbiev's reign as the undisputed light-heavyweight champion came to an end. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring magazine titles during his reign as champion.