Former world boxing champion Denis Lebedev spoke about replacing the Russian anthem with the Soviet one before the fight between boxer Artur Beterbiev and American Marcus Brown. His words are quoted by “Sport-Express”.
“A brilliant act from the organizers! I do not consider this act provocative. And what is bad about the anthem of the USSR? Absolutely nothing. Most likely, they accidentally got it mixed up. There is nothing criminal in this, ”the athlete said. He was delighted with what happened, because, according to him, this hymn underlines the great Russian traditions.
Earlier on December 18, Beterbiev knocked out Brown and defended the world light heavyweight titles according to the versions of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF). For the Russian, this victory was the 17th (17 – by knockout) in 17 fights. Brown, 31, suffered a second defeat with 24 wins (16 by KO).
Before the fight, which took place in Montreal, the organizers played the anthem of the USSR instead of the anthem of Russia during the presentation of the participants.
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
