Arthur Beterbiev retained the IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight titles with a 10th round stoppage over Adam Deines in Moscow, Russia.

At the end of round one, Beterbiev dropped Deines with a grazing right to the top of the head.

In round 10, Beterbiev dropped Deines with a perfect left hook to the jaw and the fight was stopped.

Beterbiev is now 16-0. Deines of Germany is 19-2-1.

Silyagin Decisions Abdugufurov

Pavel Silyagin won a 12-round unanimous decision over Azibek Abdugufurov in a super middleweight featuring undefeated fighters.

Silyagin landed 189 of 704 punches; Abdugufurov was 119 of 485.

Silyagin, 167 3/4 lbs won by score of 120-108, 119-109 twice and is now 7-0. Abdugufurov, 167 3/4 lbs is 13-1.

Kahriton Agrba stopped Helber Rojas in round two of their super lightweight fight.

Agrba pounded away at Rojas until the bout was stopped at 2:30 of round two.

Agrba, 140 lbs of Russia is 5-0 with two knockouts. Rojas, 138 1/4 lbs of Venezuela is 13-4-2.

Alexander Besputin remained undefeated by stopping Viktor Plotnikov after round two of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

Besputin, 150.6 lbs of Russia is now 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Plotnikov, 149.5 lbs of Ukraine is 33-11.

Vladimir Mironchikov stopped Elvin Akhundzada after round one of their scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Mironchikov landed a hard right that forced Akhundzada to take a knee. The fight was halted after the round.

Mironchikov, 173 lbs of Russia is 3-0 with three knockouts. Akhundzada, 160.6 lbs of Azerbaijan is 4-6.

Vladimir Ivanov stopped Alexander Stepanov in the opening round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Ivanov, 234 3/4 lbs of Russia is 4-0 with three knockouts. Stepanov, 249 1/2 lbs of Russia is 2-4.

Rakhman Akhmetkhanov stopped Adam Karpets in round two of their six-round middleweight bout.

Akhmetkhanov dropped Karpets with a left to the body for the 10-count.

Akhmetkhanov was making his pro debut. Karpets is 21-16.

(ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)

    •    Artur Beterbiev 174.6 lbs vs. Adam Deines 174.3 lbs 
(Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles — 12 Rounds)

•      Azizbek Abdugofurov 167.9 lbs vs. Pavel Silyagin 167.9 lbs 
(Abdugofurov’s WBC Silver Super Middleweight Title — 12 Rounds)

(ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)

•   Khariton Agrba 140.1 lbs vs. Helber Rojas 138.2 lbs 
(Jr. Welterweight — 10 Rounds)

•     Alexander Besputin 150.6 lbs vs. Viktor Plotnikov TBA
(Jr. Middleweight  — 10 Rounds)
* Plotnikov’s official weight will be available later 

MOSCOW (March 18, 2021) — After nearly 18 months, WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will make his first title defense as a unified world champion Saturday against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) from Megasport Arena in Moscow. Beterbiev, boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate, returns to his home country for the first time as a professional. 

Deines, who resides in Germany, has won a pair of bouts since the lone loss of his career.

Programming Note: Undefeated welterweight contender Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs), who was originally scheduled to fight Maximiliano Ricardo “El Picante” Veron, will now take on Viktor Plotnikov (33-10, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Besputin-Plotnikov will open the ESPN+exclusive portion of the broadcast (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT). The 12-round super middleweight battle of unbeatens – Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin — is the new co-feature and will air immediately preceding Beterbiev vs. Deines on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Here are some of Beterbiev’s thoughts before his showdown against Deines.

Artur Beterbiev

“It’s been a difficult year for everyone. Now, I’m feeling good. I had a very good preparation, very good camp in Russia. We’re ready for a fight.”

“I’m very happy to have a fight in my home country. We studied Adam. We watched some videos. We have a couple of strategies.”

“You never hear predictions from me. I’m a simple boxer. I’m not like Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali can say, I’ll knock him out in eight rounds, or 10 rounds, but I’m not like this. I’m focused on doing my best.”

SATURDAY, March 20, 2021

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Artur Beterbiev vs. Adam Deines, 12 rounds, Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles

Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin, 12 rounds, Abdugofurov’s WBC Silver Super Middleweight Title

ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT

Khariton Agrba vs. Helber Rojas, 10 rounds, junior welterweight

Alexander Besputin vs. Viktor Plotnikov, 10 rounds, welterweight

(March 12, 2021) — Boxing’s preeminent knockout artist, WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev, invites American fight fans for An Afternoon With Artur. Beterbiev’s title defense against top contender Adam Deines — Saturday, March 20 at Megasport Arena in Moscow — will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
 
In the televised co-feature, welterweight contender Alexander Besputin returns to action in a 10-rounder against Argentine veteran Maximiliano Ricardo Veron.
 
Undercard fights will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
 
Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), a two-time Russian Olympian, returns to home soil for the first time as a professional. He unified world titles in October 2019 with a 10^th-round TKO over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, solidifying his position as the sport’s top light heavyweight. Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) has won a pair of bouts since dropping a decision to Meng Fanlong and enters as the underdog looking to spoil Beterbiev’s perfect record and status as the only current world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate.
 
Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs) has not fought since November 2019, when he bested Radzhab Butaev by unanimous decision to win a version of the welterweight world title. The result was changed to a no-contest after Besputin tested positive for a banned substance. Veron (12-3-1, 4 KOs) is coming off a career-best performance in November 2019, a unanimous decision over Diego Ramirez (21-2 at the time) to win the IBF Latino welterweight belt.
 
The following bouts are scheduled for the ESPN+-exclusive portion of the broadcast:

• Former Russian amateur standout Khariton Agrba (4-0, 1 KO), a 2019 European Games silver medalist, will fight Venezuelan veteran Jesus Cuadro (19-7, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder for WBA Continental super lightweight strap. The 25-year-old Agrba is considered one of Russia’s top young talents, as he won more than 300 bouts in the unpaid ranks before turning pro in December 2019.
   
• Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5 KOs) will defend his WBC Silver super middleweight belt in a 12-rounder against fellow unbeaten Pavel Silyagin (6-0 4 KOs). Abdugofurov, from Uzbekistan, is ranked fourth by the WBC at super middleweight. 

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

BoxNation and Premier Sports have today announced live coverage of the rescheduled fight between Artur Beterbiev (15-0-0) and Adam Deines (19-1-1) for the unified light heavyweight championship of the world, with the WBC & IBF belts on the line.

This is the fifth planned date after jumping from September 25th to October 9th, the parties involved finally settled on October 23rd, only for Beterbiev to suffer a broken rib. January 30th was agreed after this only for Beterbiev to test positive for COVID with March 20th eventually finalised in a special Russian homecoming.

Artur Beterbiev steps into a ring in Russia for the very first time with an undefeated record of 15 wins, zero loses and 0 draws, 15 of those wins coming by the way of knock out. Beterbiev has represented Russia at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics before moving in 2013 to Montreal to pursue his professional career. German Adam Deines will make his way to the ring with a record of 19 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, with 10 of those wins by knock out.

Beterbiev commenting on the fight in January, “I am excited to finally have a date for the fight. Now that COVID-19 and the injury are behind me, I am able to prepare well and put on a great show for boxing fans.”

Live broadcast of the event from Moscow, Russia begins at 5pm GMT on BoxNation and Premier Sports 2 with the main event expected at approximately 8pm. The co-feature not expected before 7.05pm sees an international welterweight bout between former WBA “regular” welterweight champion Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KO’s), who has been inactive since November 2019 v Argentinian Maximiliano Ricardo Veron (12-3, 4 KO’s).

Further fights on the undercard include the WBA Continental Super Lightweight Title between Khariton Agrba (4-0, 1 KO) and Jesus Cuadro (19-7, 15 KO) and the Silver Super Middleweight title between Pavil Sylyagin (6-0, 4 KO) and Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5 KO)

New customers signing up to watch this event can do so easily via the Premier Sports website. More upcoming fights for April are expected to be announced shortly.

ENDS

ABOUT PREMIER SPORTS

Premier Sports was founded in 2009 is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. In the Premier Sports bundle on Sky, Virgin TV and Premier Player, customers can enjoy Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports 2, BoxNation and LaLigaTV.

Premier Sports 1 is on Sky channel 412 and Virgin channel 551. Premier Sports 2 is on Sky channel 435 and Virgin Channel 552. FreeSports is available free on Sky Channel 422, Virgin Media Channel 553, on Channel 64 on Freeview and BT and on Freesat Channel 252.

The channels are also available to pubs, clubs and other commercial premises throughout the UK.

Premier Sports also broadcast LaLiga, Serie A, Scottish Cup football, 152 games from the Guinness PRO14, 15 games a week from the NHL, GAA and the home of NASCAR in the UK.

ABOUT BOXNATION

BoxNation began broadcasting in 2011 and has featured some of the best fights from home and abroad in the 8 years it has been on air. BoxNation is currently available on Sky channel 427, Virgin TV channel 546, BT TV and Talk Talk channel 415.

(January 21, 2021) — The wait is over. WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will fight top contender Adam Deines in a special Russian homecoming Saturday, March 20 at Megasport Arena in Moscow.

Beterbiev represented Russia at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and moved to Montreal to begin his pro career in 2013. Nearly eight years after turning pro, he will fight in Russia for the first time, and for the first time since unifying world titles in October 2019 with a scintillating 10^th-round knockout over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Patriot Promotions, Beterbiev-Deines will air live on an ESPN platform, with additional details to follow.

“At long last, Artur Beterbiev will defend his world titles as he looks to kick off his 2021 campaign in devastating fashion,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We have big plans for Artur, but he must first take care of business in Moscow.”

Beterbiev said, “I am excited to finally have a date for the fight. Now that COVID-19 and the injury are behind me, I am able to prepare well and put on a great show for boxing fans.”

Beterbiev and Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs), who is ranked No. 6 by the IBF, have been scheduled to fight twice before. A proposed Oct. 23 date was scuttled after Beterbiev suffered a rib injury in training, and the Jan. 30 makeup date was postponed after Beterbiev tested positive for COVID-19. Deines, who turns 30 on Feb. 8, has won a pair of bouts via stoppage since the lone loss of his career, a June 2019 unanimous decision to Meng Fanlong in Macau, China.

For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing and twitter.com/ESPNRingside; IG: @espnringside.

(December 28, 2020) —WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev has been forced to postpone his title defense against Adam Deines — scheduled for Jan. 30 at VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia — after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Beterbiev and Deines were originally scheduled to fight Oct. 23, but Beterbiev suffered a rib injury in training. Information about the rescheduled Beterbiev-Deines showdown will be announced in due course.

Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), the only current world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate, has not fought since his knockout victory over Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019 to unify world titles. 

(December 16, 2020) — The pandemic and an injury kept Artur Beterbiev out of the ring in 2020, but boxing’s most devastating knockout artist has a blank canvas as he prepares to kick off Top Rank on ESPN’s 2021 championship schedule in grand fashion.
 
Beterbiev, the unified WBC and IBF light heavyweight world champion, will defend his titles Saturday, Jan. 30 against Adam Deines at VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia. A two-time Olympian from Russia’s Chechnya region, Beterbiev has never fought in his home nation as a professional.
 
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Patriot Promotions, Beterbiev-Deines will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, with undercard bouts to stream on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
 
“Artur Beterbiev is the world’s premier light heavyweight, and we eagerly await his ring return,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We have unification plans for Artur next year, but he must first get past Adam Deines, a worthy, upset-minded challenger.”
 
Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio, authored the signature win of his career in October 2019, when he knocked out Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10^th round of a title unification fight in Philadelphia. The COVID-19 pandemic scuttled plans for a March 28 title defense against China’s Meng Fanlong, and the original Oct. 23 date for the Deines fight was postponed after Beterbiev suffered a rib injury in training. Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs), ranked No. 5 by the IBF, was born in Russia and has made his professional home in Germany. The 29-year-old southpaw has won a pair of bouts via stoppage since the lone loss of his career, a June 2019 unanimous decision to Fanlong in Macau, China.
 
“I’m excited to have the chance to fight in my home country of Russia,” Beterbiev said. “This fight against Adam Deines means a lot to me, and you can be sure that I am preparing accordingly to honor this opportunity.”
 
Deines said, “I’ve been waiting to fight Beterbiev for a long time. I can’t wait to put forth the fight of my life to become unified world champion. Moscow, I’m coming.”
 
For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing and twitter.com/ESPNRingside; IG: @espnringside.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 11.5 million subscribers.
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
 

(September 12, 2020) —WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev’s Oct. 23 title defense in Moscow against Adam Deines has been postponed after Beterbiev suffered a rib injury in training. Beterbiev-Deines is expected to be rescheduled before the end of the year.

Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), the only current world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate, has not fought since his 10th-round stoppage victory over Oleksandr Gvozdyk last October to unify world titles.