A one-sided fight ended with a nasty exclamation point on “Premier Boxing Champions” Saturday afternoon, with Artur Beterbiev introducing the CBS wing of the series with a brutal knockout of Gabriel Campillo.
This was not unexpected. Campillo was once a dangerous light heavyweight, but short of an upset win over prospect Thomas Williams, Jr., he hasn’t been too dangerous in recent years. He goes down easy (like your mom) and Beterbiev punches pretty hard, to say the least.
Beterbiev scored a knockdown in the very 1st round, first hurting Campillo with a sweeping right. Campillo’s legs, which didn’t look as fluid as they once did, were even worse after that. Campillo survived, apparently looking to make it past four rounds, if the PBC announcing team had good intel, but couldn’t do that. A big uppercut with a right along the ropes in the 4th had Campillo pretty much out, and a left hand as he fell put him down for good.
Beterbiev might be a prospect by fight count, but he looks like a contender. He’s being moved appropriately, as Campillo made sense for him today. The only question is whether it was worthy of network TV, a question that pertains to the main event, too — Adonis Stevenson-Sakio Bika, in the same division, with the local Canadian fighter, Stevenson, also the favorite.
(Campillo, left, Beterbiev right; credit: Amanda Kwok, PBC on CBS)
