Artur Beterbiev, the undisputed light heavyweight champion with a terrifying record of 21 wins and 20 knockouts to his name, has admitted that he is not ready to compete with Oleksandr Usyk, the unbeaten heavyweight king. In an interview with Fight Hub on January 13, Beterbiev admitted: “There will be no fight with Usyk. He is too strong for me.” At least he’s honest, eh?

Beterbiev explained in an interview with Fight Hub TV that moving up to heavyweight to face Usyk is not on his to-do list. “If he comes back to my division, I’ll fight him. But not at heavyweight. Cruiserweight? No, too strong, too good. Well, that’s one way to avoid getting hit.”

The pair have a history, having met three times in the amateur ranks. Usyk has reached the summit twice, and it seems those memories are still fresh in Beterbiev’s mind. I can’t say I blame him for not wanting to be a part of the guy who just taught Tyson Fury.

Speaking of Fury, Beterbiev had some thoughts on that as well. “Fury fought well. I feel a little sorry that there are no big names in heavyweight at the moment. I mean, real legends like Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. At the moment, Usyk and Fury are the best in this weight class. Translation: Heavyweight He’s a bit of a snoozer these days, except for Usyk and Fury.

To be fair, Beterbiev’s honesty is rare in boxing. Most fighters would offer some canned statement about “considering all options” or “testing themselves against the best.” Instead, Beterbiev was basically saying: “No, buddy. I’ll stick to my own course.”