It was in 1999, when legend Roy Jones Jr. defeated Reggie Johnson that a champion held the light heavyweight undisputed title. Last October, Artur Beterbiev created history. He became an undisputed champion 25 years after Jones Jr.’s epochal feat. But Beterbiev knows he doesn’t have much time left in the sport. Roughly a month ago he turned 40. If he fails to deliver at the Kingdom Arena on February 22nd, then he might as well be staring at a rubber match.

Dmitry Bivol is expected to put in his all to avenge the career-first loss. For Beterbiev, a 22nd professional win would cement his legacy as one of the modern era’s greatest fighters. Given his humble origins, it’s hard to imagine the heights Beterbiev had reached. The humble and God-fearing man that he is, the champion often credits his family, especially his brothers who stood by him as pillars of strength for his stupendous success.

How many brothers does Artur Beterbiev have?

Born on January 20, 1985, in Khasavyurt, a city in Russia’s Dagestan, Beterbiev comes from a large family. The youngest among five brothers, the family, headed by the father, Gasan Beterbiev, faced hardships on account of the internecine problems that plagued the region. Working as a bus driver, Beterbiev Sr. worked hard to provide for his family.

Tragedy struck in 2001 when Gasan Beterbiev lost his life in an accident. The future world champion was only 16 at the time. While his mother, a nurse, worked, his elder brothers also took up vocations to support the family.

Speaking with Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly, Artur Beterbiev revealed that he took a job at a gas station to contribute. “At the time, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a global star. My dreams weren’t that big at the time. If anything, I was dreaming about vacations and having time off school. But I knew I had to knuckle down and earn some money for my family. So, I took up that job at the petrol station and did boxing on the side,” said the undisputed champion.

But young Artur Beterbiev became vulnerable to the dangerous street life. As he got into serious confrontations, his elder brother, who appears to have had some experience in combat sports, stepped in and took him to a boxing gym.

Artur Beterbiev credits his older brother for boxing success.

Though not much detail is available about Abdul-Beter Beterbiev, it seems he played a pivotal role in turning around his youngest sibling’s life. “I have to thank my brother. My older brother took me down to the gym with and insisted I train harder and focus on that instead of street fighting. So, I trained with him, and I stopped fighting on the streets,” Artur Beterbiev told Charlotte Daly.

Life in the gym changed Beterbiev for good as he became more disciplined and focused.

It would have been boxing’s loss if Artur Beterbiev had been lost to the nasty world of street fighting. But thanks to a strong family standing by his side for all times, he finally made it to the highest echelon of the sport.

Do you believe Beterbiev will pull off yet another tightly contested win on Saturday night?