Russ Anber will work neither fighter’s corner when Artur Beterbiev fights Callum Smith after ruling himself out on the grounds of his relationships with both.
The respected cornerman – recognised as one of the world’s leading cutsmen and wrappers of hands – has long worked with both fighters and has refused to choose between them.
Bob Arum confirmed earlier this week that the fight for Beterbiev’s IBF, WBO and WBC light heavyweight titles is being scheduled for Quebec City for a date in early August, but though Anber is also based in Canada and will attend, he will have no involvement come fight night.
“I won’t be working in either corner,” he told ProBox TV. “I’m an old-school guy. Loyalty means a lot to me, and the friendship that I have with the Smiths – I’ve worked every brother’s corner at one point, the longest with Liam and Callum. I love the family; I always get treated well by them; I worked with Callum before actually ever knowing Beterbiev.
“I’ve been friends with [Beterbiev’s trainer] Marc Ramsay for over 20 years; he’s one of my closest friends in boxing; he’s mad at it for me as well but he understands. I would be doing a disservice to both guys, whoever I would have chosen.
“In working with Smith – definitely with Beterbiev – I’m [also] there because of my coaching background. The coaches count [Buddy McGirt trains Smith] on me to give them instructions, either to them or to the fighter directly.
“I could make an excuse either way. But my affiliation is not geographical; it’s not political. It’s my personal relationship with people.
“For years, after I got rid of David Lemieux, every time someone would come to fight Lemieux, they’d ask me if I’d come work their corner. I wasn’t going to play those games. Had I been with a fighter for years who happened to be fighting Lemieux, yeah, then I’d have worked the corner no problem. But I’m not going to go in there just to make you happy and work against somebody. I won’t do that.
“I just thought it would be fair, and honest [not to work Beterbiev-Smith]. I’ll step back from it and let whatever happens in the ring happen in the ring.”
Anber’s extensive work in the media means that come fight night he could yet be employed as a commentator. He last worked Beterbiev’s corner in January when the Russian stopped Anthony Yarde in a thrilling fight in London, and it was at the airport waiting for their flight back to Canada that Marc Ramsay overheard him speaking about his plans to not take part.
“[My emotions will] depend on how the fight goes,” he said. "I’m gonna feel bad for whoever loses, because, fuck, I like the guys, and I want them to win. Fight to a draw. [I hope] no one gets hurt and it’s a draw.
“I know it’s their livelihoods and they have to do what they have to do, but I have to distance myself from that, and in fairness to Callum, prior to his last two fights, they knew that the next fight was going to be Beterbiev or was coming, and they knew then that I wasn’t going to work the corner. I told them before I had told Marc Ramsey, because I was more scared of Marc [laughs]. Even though they knew that I still worked the corner, and I still worked with ‘Beefy’ [Liam Smith].
“[At the airport] I said, ‘I’m in a tough situation but I think I’m going to have to disqualify myself from working both camps’. I didn’t realise Marc was that close or that he was even paying attention, but he said, ‘A decision like that is going to get you fired’. He got mad. He didn’t talk to me for a month – he stormed off.
