‘Arthur Ko’ed Him There’: Artur Beterbiev Steals the Show With ‘Mic Drop’ Reply Against Eddie Hearn During Dmitry Bivol Presser

Who is going to win when Artur Beterbiev defends his undisputed light heavyweight titles against Dmitry Bivol in their rematch tomorrow? That is a ridiculous question to ask, especially since both are world-class boxers and their last encounter was so close that it made Turki Alalshikh immediately call for a rematch. However, at this point, there seems to be a clear winner on the mic and it’s the defending champion.

The first bout broke Bivol’s undefeated record while Beterbiev went the full distance for the first time in his career. Bivol now hopes to undo the perceived injustice while  Beterbiev wants to get back to his knockout days. And in that spirit, he has chosen to take his first shot at Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

 During the final presser before the fight, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn made a lighthearted comment about being good friends with the Beterbiev. The Russian champion, never one for excessive words, nodded in agreement and said, “You give me opponents and I beat them eh, we do good business.”

 

Fans wasted no time in reacting to the savage line, and social media was filled with praise for Beterbiev’s cool and calculated mic-drop moment. One fan cleverly remarked, “Arthur KO’ed him there,” playing off both his name and his knockout prowess in the ring. Another chimed in, “He really doesn’t like all of the talking Eddie does,” highlighting Beterbiev’s no-nonsense demeanor.

Others simply appreciated the sheer confidence behind the response, with one fan saying, “Damn, that was a mic drop,” while another boldly stated, “Beterbiev owns Matchroom.”

Many also expressed newfound admiration for Beterbiev’s ability to not only dominate in the ring but also land verbal jabs when needed. “Wow Arthur, I wasn’t familiar with your game—not only walk the walk but talk the talk too,” one fan admitted.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from the entire press conference was the sheer excitement for the fight itself. “Can’t wait to see Beterbiev throw those punches for real! Feb 22 is gonna be epic,” summed up the anticipation building for this highly awaited rematch.

With fight night just around the corner, the hype is at an all-time high. If Beterbiev and Bivol bring even half of the intensity they did in their first fight, fans are in for an unforgettable battle.

This light-hearted press conference may have given us a viral moment, but come fight night, it’ll be fists doing the talking, and that’s where these two truly shine.

Meanwhile, ‘Beterbiev‘ has also been linked with WBC, WBO, and WBA super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. But the unified light heavyweight champion of the world has claimed Canelo doesn’t do anything for his career.

Beterbiev not interested in Canelo

Back in 2019, Beterbiev held the IBF and the WBC light heavyweight titles while Canelo had snaked away with the WBO belt with a last-minute KO win against Sergey Kovalev. However, since then Beterbiev has won all the light heavyweight titles in all 4 major promotions and such, doesn’t have any need for Canelo.

Speaking with Boxing News, he explained,

“When I was champion in my category, I wanted to fight him, because I wanted that belt, but now I’m not interested.”

However, Beterbiev did leave the door open slightly, adding,

“If he comes to my category or is mandatory, as an obligation, I am firm to fight with Canelo, but if it is by choice, I’m not interested.”

As for the highly anticipated showdown between Canelo and Terence Crawford, Beterbiev remained neutral. He stated that he does not usually watch boxing fights but that is one fight he wouldn’t want to miss watching.

Right now though, all he cares about is February 22 and the rematch.