Marcus Browne had mowed down his first 23 opponents when he stepped in the ring with Jean Pascal.
Pascal was coming off a loss Dmitry Bivol. It was supposed to be a fight that Browne would cruise through against a name everyone knew. That’s not how it played out.
Browne (24-1-0) was knocked down three times and loss by technical decision when the fight was stopped because of an accidental headbutt. Despite the three knockdowns, Browne was only down one point on each of the scorecards.
After the loss, Browne won a “get well” fight against Denis Grachev. The unanimous decision win put Browne in the position to get the biggest fight of his career when he faces Artur Beterbiev.
“We trained hard for the fight. He’s a tough customer, but on Friday night, we are changing the narrative,” said Browne.
Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KOs) is indeed a tough customer. The undefeated champion unified world titles in October 2019 with a 10th-round TKO over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Beterbiev will be the “hometown” fighter in his adopted home of Montreal. “Artur Beterbiev has built a tremendous fanbase in Montreal, and we wanted to give him the opportunity to defend his titles in his adopted hometown,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum.
For Browne, it could be a career defining fight. Another loss in a big spot could keep him as a “B” side fighter for a while but a win will put him back on the path he was on before the Pascal loss.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe, and come Friday night, you will see. I’m tired of talking. I want to fight.”
