Brutal ringside angle of Artur Beterbiev knocking down Joe Smith Jr three times emerges

Artur Beterbiev landed three brutal knockdowns on his way to a second round demolition of Joe Smith Jr on Saturday night.

In front of a tense crowd at the Hulu Theater in New York City, Artur Beterbiev silenced the fans who had hoped to see Long Island’s own Joe Smith Jr claim two more world titles at 175 pounds. The 37-year-old was favoured by many to get the job done, but the manner in which he was able to tear through Smith as if he wasn’t even there was somewhat frightening.

The veteran showcased his power, precision and tremendous shot selection by walking Smith down at will, to the point where those watching were left speechless at what they were witnessing.

The contest was called to a stop in the second round as the referee simply couldn’t allow Smith, who had been knocked down on three occasions, carry on any longer.

Beterbiev was showing no mercy whatsoever and in the following footage, we can see precisely why he has earned the right to hold the WBC, IBF and now WBO light heavyweight titles.

The first can be construed as Smith being the master of his own downfall by rushing in too quickly but as time went on, he began to slow down and the favourite was knocking him to one knee with relative ease.

Then, before there was even a chance for Smith to go out on his sword, the ref witnessed him stumbling around the ring and waved it off.

The name value of both men isn’t exactly through the roof and for that reason, it was always going to be difficult to sell this one to casual fans of the sport – but those that did tune in saw that, in many ways, age is just a number.

Beterbiev may still be improving and that alone is a scary prospect. He continues to add more layers to his game and if he can stay active, with high