Khamzat Chimaev has words of praise for undefeated Artur Beterbiev after successful title defense
Khamzat Chimaev has applauded boxing champion Artur Beterbiev for his impressive victory on January 28.
In an Instagram post, Chimaev hailed Beterbiev as the 'king of boxing'.
Artur Beterbiev went up against Anthony Yarde in a boxing match with the WBO, IBF and WBC light-heavyweight titles on the line. The event took place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England.
Beterbiev knocked out his opponent in the eighth round to successfully defend his titles. Beterbiev is currently undefeated as a professional boxer with a spectacular record of 19-0.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR. Arthur Beterbiev KNOCKS OUT Anthony Yarde
now 19-0 with 19 KOs 💀
#BeterbievYarde https://t.co/6jXGmAxt46
Apart from Khamzat Chimaev, other prominent combat sports personalities like Jake Paul and Joe Rogan also shared their thoughts on the fight.
'The Problem Child' congratulated Beterbiev by making a pun on his name and also commended Yarde for his grit.
"Amazing fight. Congrats Beterbiev on being the Betr man tonight. Yarde showed so much heart"
🏼
🏼Amazing fight. Congrats Beterbiev on being the Betr man tonight.
Yarde showed so much heart👏🏼🙌🏼
UFC commentator Joe Rogan hailed Beterbiev as a "destructive force" and wished for a showdown between the 38-year-old and Dmitry Bivol to take place in 2023.
"Congrats to the great and powerful Artur Beterbiev, the most destructive force in boxing. 19-0 with 19 knockouts. IBF, WBO and WBC world light heavyweight champion. I really hope him and Dmitry Bivol can get together in the ring this year."
A few more reactions to the fight can be seen below:
What a fight from Anthony Yarde and Artur Beterbiev
Beterbiev is a freaking beast. That was a great fight. Yarde proved to be a tougher opponent than most seem to expect … but Beterbiev, fighting out of Montréal, is just too good.
If truth be told, Beterbiev broke down Yarde both physically and mentally! Kudos to both. Good fight as figured. #BeterbievYarde
What's next for Khamzat Chimaev?
Rumors of Khamzat Chimaev moving up to middleweight have been making the rounds. However, no official confirmation regarding the same has been given by either Chimaev or the UFC.
The move could seem like a logical step as 'Borz' missed the welterweight limit by a huge margin in his last fight.
UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley believes that moving up to 185 pounds could prove fruitful for the Chechen-born Swede. 'Suga' iterated the same on a recent episode of The BrO'Malley Show.
"That'd be the smartest f***ing career move for that guy. Because making '70, he has to be on a strict diet all year round. He can't f*** around once or twice. I mean, he's not gonna make the weight. Go up to 185. You can eat. You can be strong; do sh** like that," said Sean O'Malley.
Listen to O'Malley discuss the topic at 19:15 and 20:55 in the video below: