Artur Beterbiev stared at Marcus Browne as the unified world champion targets another explosive victory that would fuel speculation about a Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight.
The fearsome Beterbiev can maintain his 100% knockout record when he defends his WBC and IBF light heavyweight belts against Browne in Montreal, live on Sky Sports from 1 Saturday morning.
Beterbiev, who made weight on the second attempt, was recently linked to an explosive showdown against Canelo.
“I’ve known Canelo pretty well since he was a youngster,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told Sky Sports.
“He expressed interest in fighting Beterbiev or Joe Smith Jr.
“I’m looking forward to May or September, the two dates that Canelo loves to fight, that he would fight one of those light heavyweights.”
Browne holds a win over Badou Jack, with his only defeat coming by technical decision against Jean Pascal in 2019.
But Top Rank chairman Todd DuBoef believes Beterbiev could create a new debate over a Canelo clash with another devastating victory.
“He’s a force of nature,” DuBoef told Sky Sports.
“You can see his grit and stoic demeanor.
“He does amazing strength exercises.
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Watch a big knockout win for Beterbiev
“Beterbiev is an absolute beast. He will hunt you down, take what you have and tear your head off!
“He’s as exciting as anyone else. Everyone wants to watch him in the ring.
“The most important thing for him is: what’s next? Can he pull Canelo? What are his opportunities?”
Sky Sport Boxing Program
Saturday 18 December – Top Rank in Montreal
Artur Beterbiev vs. Marcus Browne – IBF and WBC light heavyweight titles
Saturday 29 January – BOXXER in Cardiff
Chris Eubank Jr versus Liam Williams
Claressa Shields vs Ema Kozin – IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Saturday 19th February – BOXXER in Manchester
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook
Saturday 26 February – Top Rank in Glasgow
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall – undisputed superlight titles
