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Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series hits CBS, with Saturday’s edition featuring a pair of light heavyweight bouts. In the headliner at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Adonis Stevenson defends his World lineal championship versus Sakio Bika.
Opening the telecast, rising unbeaten contender Artur Beterbiev squares off versus former titlist Gabriel Campillo in a dangerous crossroads bout for both fighters.
Beterbiev (7-0, 7KOs) has been aggressively matched since turning pro less than two years ago. The two-time Olympian for his native Russia has since relocated to Canada, where all of his pro fights have taken place to date. None have yet to go beyond the 4th round, including a two-round stoppage of former titlist Tavoris Cloud last September, in a scheduled 12-round regional title fight.
His last ring appearance was the closest anyone has come to knocking off any of the new penny shine. Beterbiev found himself on the canvas early in his bout with fellow unbeaten light heavyweight Jeff Page Jr., but quickly recovered and reminded his opponent and the boxing public of what makes him special, rallying for a 2nd round knockout last December.
The well-traveled Campillo (25-6-1, 12KOs) enjoyed a stretch as boxing’s sympathetic cause, known for his knack of landing on the wrong end of debatable decisions. One such controversially scored affair ended his light heavyweight title reign, as he was blatantly robbed in his Jan. ’10 rematch with Beibut Shumenov in Las Vegas.
It happened again in back-to-back fights, when he was held to a draw with Karo Murat – 2˝ years after dropping a debatable decision and with both fights taking place on the road in Germany – and then dropped a horribly scored 12-round affair to then-titlist Cloud in Feb. ’12.
The latter setback resonated with the Spanish southpaw, though a far more convincing loss would follow in his next bout nearly one year later. Campillo was expected to serve as a litmus test for a then-sparsely known rising light heavyweight named Sergei Kovalev, but instead ran into a buzzsaw as he was violently stopped inside of three rounds of their Jan. ’13 clash.
The bout kickstarted a breakout campaign for Kovalev, while the industry was ready to close the book on Campillo. A thrilling-in-defeat knockout loss to Andrzej Fonfara later that August – as part of one of the best cards of 2013, and easily the best ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show in recent years – was thought to be the end of his days as a relevant contender.
New life was breathed into his career, rallying to knock out unbeaten prospect Thomas Williams Jr. in five rounds last August and also on ESPN2. The feat is the most significant among a current three-fight win streak for the 36-year old upset-minded ring veteran.
Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes the crossroads bout will play out Saturday afternoon in Quebec City. [Click Here To Read More]
Opening the telecast, rising unbeaten contender Artur Beterbiev squares off versus former titlist Gabriel Campillo in a dangerous crossroads bout for both fighters.
Beterbiev (7-0, 7KOs) has been aggressively matched since turning pro less than two years ago. The two-time Olympian for his native Russia has since relocated to Canada, where all of his pro fights have taken place to date. None have yet to go beyond the 4th round, including a two-round stoppage of former titlist Tavoris Cloud last September, in a scheduled 12-round regional title fight.
His last ring appearance was the closest anyone has come to knocking off any of the new penny shine. Beterbiev found himself on the canvas early in his bout with fellow unbeaten light heavyweight Jeff Page Jr., but quickly recovered and reminded his opponent and the boxing public of what makes him special, rallying for a 2nd round knockout last December.
The well-traveled Campillo (25-6-1, 12KOs) enjoyed a stretch as boxing’s sympathetic cause, known for his knack of landing on the wrong end of debatable decisions. One such controversially scored affair ended his light heavyweight title reign, as he was blatantly robbed in his Jan. ’10 rematch with Beibut Shumenov in Las Vegas.
It happened again in back-to-back fights, when he was held to a draw with Karo Murat – 2˝ years after dropping a debatable decision and with both fights taking place on the road in Germany – and then dropped a horribly scored 12-round affair to then-titlist Cloud in Feb. ’12.
The latter setback resonated with the Spanish southpaw, though a far more convincing loss would follow in his next bout nearly one year later. Campillo was expected to serve as a litmus test for a then-sparsely known rising light heavyweight named Sergei Kovalev, but instead ran into a buzzsaw as he was violently stopped inside of three rounds of their Jan. ’13 clash.
The bout kickstarted a breakout campaign for Kovalev, while the industry was ready to close the book on Campillo. A thrilling-in-defeat knockout loss to Andrzej Fonfara later that August – as part of one of the best cards of 2013, and easily the best ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show in recent years – was thought to be the end of his days as a relevant contender.
New life was breathed into his career, rallying to knock out unbeaten prospect Thomas Williams Jr. in five rounds last August and also on ESPN2. The feat is the most significant among a current three-fight win streak for the 36-year old upset-minded ring veteran.
Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes the crossroads bout will play out Saturday afternoon in Quebec City. [Click Here To Read More]
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