For the most part, pound-for-pound lists are populated by fighters with a blend of size, skills and speed that is reinforced by a strong résumé. Tacticians like Terence Crawford and Vasyl Lomachenko make the list. Sublime talents like Oleksandr Usyk and Shakur Stevenson often do, too. Occasionally there is an outlier like Tyson Fury, a supersized heavyweight with unique skills.
And then there is Artur Beterbiev.
Beterbiev is one of the more interesting cases for inclusion in the ranks of boxing’s best. It’s not that he lacks skill; Beterbiev, 37, is an Olympian with a gold medal at the 2009 World Championships on his résumé. It’s that his greatest skill is his power. Raw, blunt, destructive power that was on display Saturday, when Beterbiev walked through Joe Smith in two rounds to unify 175-pound titles.
