Artur Beterbiev, the undisputed light heavyweight champion with a fearsome 21-0 record and 20 knockouts, has bluntly admitted that he will not fight Undefeated heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk feuds. In an interview with Fight Hub on January 13, Beterbiev admitted, “There will be no fight with Usyk. He’s too strong for me.” At least he’s being honest, right?

Beterbiev made it clear in an interview with Fight Hub TV that fighting at heavyweight is not on his to-do list. “If he came back to my division, then I would fight him. But not at heavyweight. Lightweight? No. Too strong, too good.” Well, that’s one way to dodge a beating.

The two have a long history and have clashed three times in the amateur arena. Usyk won the title twice, something Beterbiev seems to have fresh in his mind. I can’t say I blame him for not wanting to be a part of the guy who just trained Tyson Fury.

Beterbiev also has some thoughts when it comes to Fury. “Fury fought well. I feel a little sad that there are no big names in the heavyweight division right now. I mean, real legends like Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. At the moment, Usyk and Fury are the ones The best in the weight class ” Translation: Outside of Usyk and Fury, the heavyweight division is a bit of a snoozefest.

To be fair, Beterbiev’s honesty is rare in boxing. Most fighters have some set lines about “considering all options” or “testing yourself against the best”. Instead, Beterbiev basically said, “No, man. I’m going to go my own way.”