Georges St-Pierre knew Artur Beterbiev would be destined to do big things in the boxing world, according to Ariel Helwani.
Beterbiev has held the IBF world lightweight title since November 2017 and has added the WBC and WBO belts in the years since then, and later this month he faces WBA and WBO champion Dmitry Bivol in a bout to determine the undisputed ruler of the division.
But before Beterbiev was world renowned for his boxing skills, he earned his stripes as a professional fighter in the Montreal area, where Helwani says he crossed paths with UFC great St-Pierre.
Read more: Eddie Hearn outlines favourite for Beterbiev-Bivol clash
DAZNIt was in Beterbiev's early days in Montreal that St-Pierre realized that the boxer was on the road to greatness.
"Georges St-Pierre, I remember many, many moons ago, the great UFC champion was training with Beterbiev, and he told me, like, 'this is the guy' before he really burst on the scene," Helwani said on DAZN's Roundtable alongside Darren Barker, Joseph Parker and host Ade Oladipo.
"He couldn't have spoken more highly about someone, and when GSP tells you that about a fighter of any kind, you listen. And so I have always adored him for that reason."
Beterbiev and Bivol will square off Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, available live worldwide on DAZN (excluding U.S. and Canada).
Watch Beterbiev vs. Bivol on DAZN
Watch Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol and the full fight card on October 12 on DAZN Pay-Per-View, which includes Fabio Wardley, Frazer Clark, Chris Eubank Jr, Jai Opetaia, Ben Whittaker and Skye Nicolson all fighting.
The PPV is priced at £19.99 for UK viewers. To purchase and find the prices in your region click here.
Purchasing the PPV includes a seven-day free trial of all of DAZN's programming across a range of sports.
DAZN is home of boxing, showing over 150 fights a year, broadcasting a variety of boxing programming - press conferences, weigh-ins, exclusive interviews, documentaries and much more - week in, week out, 52 weeks a year from all around the world, in all divisions, at all levels.
More Boxing
- Boxing full schedule and calendar
- DAZN's upcoming Boxing shows
- Boxing rankings
- Boxing champions list in every division
- Fighter profiles and highlights
- How do weight classes work?
- What are the major boxing titles?
- How is boxing scored?