Throughout his long combat sports career, Ryan Ford has faced many skilled opponents in both the ring and the cage, but one stands out as hitting significantly harder than anyone else.
Despite lacking the size of some MMA heavyweights he’s sparred with, a certain Russian fighter’s power is on a completely different level.
Ford, a seasoned veteran, has competed around the world in MMA, including in organizations like World Series of Fighting—where he lost to Jake Shields—and Bellator, where he scored victories over Luís Santos and Kyle Baker. He’s also boxed against notable opponents such as Joshua Buatsi and Avni Yildirim.
Although he continues to train with heavyweight MMA fighters, Ford says none of them have matched the power of Artur Beterbiev.
The fearsome boxer, who has knocked out all 20 of his professional opponents, is widely regarded as one of the hardest-hitting fighters in boxing.
This Saturday, Beterbiev will face the toughest challenge of his career when he squares off against Dmitry Bivol for all the light heavyweight titles, pitting two of the division’s greatest fighters against each other.
Bivol has proven his skill, but keeping Beterbiev at bay will be no easy feat, as Ford describes Beterbiev’s unmatched punching power.
In an interview with Gunman Boxing, Ford said: “[The hardest puncher I’ve faced] wasn’t even in a fight, it was sparring, and the guy is fighting this weekend — Artur Beterbiev.
Bro, ten days, I did 36 rounds with him. This guy is a killer. I’ve never felt power like this, not even from MMA heavyweights. He’s on another level.”
While Beterbiev’s immediate focus is on the fight with Bivol, his coach revealed that the boxer is already considering his next steps. If he wins this weekend, Beterbiev will hold every light heavyweight belt at 175 pounds.
At 39, it could be the perfect moment to retire, but his trainer says the Russian champion has other plans.
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