He met with an acute cold, a chill that leaked in his bones and made him rethink every decision that led him to Montreal. The temperature was a bite less 18 degrees that got off the plane, the wind cut the streets with a certain relentless advantage.
The snow covered the ground, its thickness, which seems that the city had been shaken inside a giant snow balloon. Each exhaling formed clouds of breath that disappeared in the crunchy winter air. But fortunately we weren't here on vacation. Our purpose was clear: we had come to witness the undisputed lightweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, preparing for his revenge with Dmitry Bivol.
We recorded in a modest motel on a quiet street, hidden away from the usual tourist paths, right next to a diving bar where the locals probably forgot what the “closed hours” even meant. For a stranger, it could have seemed a strange choice, but it worked. Beterbiev, the man who had secured his crown with a victory over Bivol in October 2024, was here, training with an intensity that could only be described as implacable.
The next morning, the cold was still present, but the atmosphere in the gym felt different. He was Beterbiev, focused and intentionally in the coming task, a man who prepares for the struggle of his career.
Known for its steel behavior, Bederbiev's presence could easily freeze the room. However, to our surprise, he welcomed Mail Sport with laughter, breaking jokes as soon as we entered. The stoic warrior we hope to meet was nowhere. Instead, a playful Beterbiev emerged, mocking us with a mischievous shine in his eyes.
Artur Beterbiev welcomed Mail Sport to the camp to see him train and chat before his revenge with Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Saudi Arabia
Known for its steel behavior, Bederbiev's presence could easily freeze the room. However, to our surprise, he welcomed Mail Sport with laughter, breaking jokes as soon as we entered
Bederbiev training was different from any session we would have witnessed. The gym was calm, free of distractions such as full volume or full multitudes. It was only Beterbiev and his coaches
Do you think you know what you are seeing? Wait until the real work begins, “he joked, showing a cunning smile.
Bederbiev training was different from any session we would have witnessed. The gym was calm, free of distractions such as full volume or full multitudes. It was only Beterbiev, his strength and conditioning coach Andre Kulesza, and pure dedication.
Unlike many combatants who train with combined partners, Beterbiev preferred to go alone for their conditioning. The gym was almost disturbing, the silence scored only by the rhythmic rhythmic of medicine balls hitting the wall.
'My coach doesn't like music, you know. He never plays it, 'says Beterbiev. 'I am not sure why, but maybe because when everything is noisy, you really can't listen to your coach, and that is not good. I think my coach made a good decision by not using music. It helps me concentrate.
The training itself was methodical, precise: each movement seemed calculated, deliberate.
Bederbiev's heating race on the running tape was nothing special, but once it reached the circuit, the intensity of the session was recovered. The objective was clear: power. And I had it in abundance. We saw how he threw mass medicinal balls against the wall and the roof, his soft but explosive movements.
The sweat soaked in his shirt, but Berebiev was not sweating in the way we could wait. His expression remained calm, focused, as a machine that works with the type of precision that comes from years of training.
However, I was not meaningless. Among the sets, he broke: 'I'm not even working hard. Someone calls a doctor, this sweat is not normal! His coach Andre joined, and his playful jokes crossed the quiet environment of the gym.
His boxing coach, Marc Ramsey (in the photo above), said that the power of Bederbiev is not only limited to a shot: he has power in all his shots
Beterbiev worked through the stock market exercises and the challenge of the sandbag, where he had to avoid and evade with precision and precision
His training was not just to hit and lift weights, it was a holistic approach to refine their skills
Even when I tried to lift one of the weights that Berebiev had presented with ease, I could not move it from the floor, which sent it to a laugh.
'You have to work on your strength!' He made fun of his smile. “It's a light job, I could be heavier, but I don't want to hurt myself, huh?”
After a fast break, Beterbiev moved to feet work exercises. His training was not just to hit and lift weights, it was a holistic approach to refine their skills. He moved easily through a series of exercises, from a staircase exercise for feet game to explosive flexions, hand-eo coordination exercises and even juggling with tennis balls.
When asked about juggling, he shrugged playfully. 'I saw Ussyk do it, so I thought about trying it. However, it is good for coordination.
What caught our attention was what Beterbiev took all aspects of his preparation, from physical force to precision in movement. Even simpler drills were treated with the maximum approach.
But that was just heating. The real job was about to start. We follow Bederbiev to his boxing gym, hidden on the third floor of an unpretentious building. The moment we entered, we were beaten with the family aroma of sweat and leather, the place full of history.
Before his session began, Beterbiev took a moment for a quiet reflection, his team joined a brief prayer. It was a spiritual basis before the intensity that was about to follow.
In the ring, Berebiev's shadow boxing was a beauty. His movements were fluid, his powerful blows, with each precision attack landing. His coach, Marc Ramsey, had installed strings in the ring to force Beder to Bob and weave, his head and body constantly moving, creating a rhythm that seemed almost effortlessly.
When Bederbiev hit the pads, the sound of each blow reverge around the room. The power behind each shot was impossible to ignore.
Speaking about the power of Bederbiev, Ramsey said: “It is a bit special, because the fighters develop power with a blow, or perhaps two, but has developed power in each blow.”
As the session continued, Beterbiev worked through the Exercises of the Stock Exchange and the challenge of the sandbag, where he had to avoid and evade with rapidity and precision. Each movement was calculated, and each blow was executed with an intensity that could only come from years of dedication.
Subsequently, Bederbiev took a time to greet the training of fans in the gym, showing a quiet respect for the process, without arrogance in sight.
When Bederbiev hit the pads, the sound of each blow reverge around the room. The power behind each shot was impossible to ignore
Before his session began, Beterbiev took a moment for a quiet reflection, his team joined a brief prayer. It was a spiritual basis before the intensity that was about to follow
You can fear that Beterbiev inside the ring, but outside of it, is a man of discipline, humor, but focus. When leaving the gym, Montreal's cold air hit again, but this time he felt different.
It was not only the frost that had been established in our skin, it was the understanding that we had seen greatness in creation.