Moment Artur Beterbiev Got Dropped : Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Johnson

In the lead-up to Artur Beterbiev’s fight against Callum Johnson, Eddie Hearn questioned whether Beterbiev was even human. Turns out, he is. Beterbiev’s vulnerabilities were on display in his first fight under the Matchroom Boxing banner, though he remained unbeaten and extended his knockout streak. The light heavyweight champ was stunned by a left hook in Round 2 but recovered and knocked out his opponent two rounds later in Chicago. Beterbiev dropped Johnson in Round 4 with a powerful right hand, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 2:36 as Johnson, the heavy underdog, was unable to continue. “He fought at close range, which was his strategy,” said Beterbiev, ranked No. 7 by The Ring at light heavyweight. “My coach told me, ‘You’re a better boxer, just box.’ I like boxing, so I did.” The 33-year-old Russian knocked Johnson down in the first round with a right cross, and it looked like the fight would be one-sided. Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs) was breaking Johnson down with jabs and straight rights, leaving the Brit with few options. But during an exchange, Johnson connected with a right hand, causing Beterbiev to wobble before touching the canvas with his glove for support. It was the first knockdown of Beterbiev’s professional career, shocking both him and the crowd at Wintrust Arena. Johnson (17-1, 12 KOs) couldn’t capitalize on the moment and allowed Beterbiev to regain his composure. The opportunity slipped away. By Round 3, Beterbiev returned to his jab, swelling Johnson’s left eye as the Russian landed 81 punches to Johnson’s 31. The end was inevitable. In Round 4, Beterbiev delivered the finishing blow, possibly paving the way for a major unification bout. Now living in Quebec, Beterbiev could face fellow light heavyweight titleholders Adonis Stevenson or Eleider Alvarez. Both are based in Canada, and a matchup with either would be a big draw, though they have tough fights ahead. Stevenson defends his title against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on December 1, while Alvarez faces Sergey Kovalev in a rematch in February. If Beterbiev steps into the ring with any of these top fighters, he’ll need to sharpen both his defense and his inside game—lessons learned from his bout with Johnson.