A few days ago, most fans would have forgiven themselves for not knowing Arturs Ahmetovs. But it won’t be so any longer. The name is fast catching up across social media platforms, all thanks to a resurfaced clip. Purportedly, it shows him engaged in a sparring session with another boxer. Within seconds, a left hook from Ahmetovs sent the opponent in black tees and blue tracks down. Now, in boxing, an incident like this would have been considered quite normal.

Only the person who fell happens to be the current undisputed middleweight champion, Claressa Shields. Given the fact that the video, taken five years ago, might be considered to show her in a bad light, Shields launched a series of responses, sharing her side of the story. According to ‘The Real Deal’, there’s more to it than meets the eye. According to her, Arturs Ahmetovs and his trainer had interfered with the boxing gloves’ padding to get her back after she had embarrassed him the previous week. So who is this boxer, whose existence the boxing world wasn’t even privy to?

Arturs Ahmetovs: A fill-in

Per the available details, Riga, Latvia-born Arturs Ahmetovs professionally debuted four years ago. Shifting his base to Florida, United States, the super lightweight fought his first bout against Demetrius Wilson on March 30, 2019. He fought four times that year, winning all the bouts, mostly through decisions. On February 22, 2020, the Latvian boxer went against Rolando Romero at the MGM Grand Arena.

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The match ended in a second-round technical knockout loss for Ahmetovs. Seven months later, Arturs Ahmetovs entered the ring in his hometown against Vladyslav Baranov. But that was the last time boxing viewers heard from him. His professional record stands at 6 wins (2 KOs) against one defeat (TKO). And his knockout-to-win rate was 33.33%.

Long gone but reappearing

In terms of boxing, by and large, he appears to have gone incommunicado. But an Instagram story uploaded early yesterday does show him active in training. His profile reads: national champion 5X and kick (?) world champion. Otherwise, most of the posts show him at one location or another. One of the posts pertains to Claressa Shields talking about the sparring incident.

Incidentally, Rolando Romero also joined online fracas yesterday, commenting on how he’s knocked Arturs Ahmetovs back in the day. It’s a different matter that the WBA light welterweight champion received a mouthful from Claressa Shields today. It appears that he has since taken down the post.

“You on the GWOAT Hit List”: Claressa Shields Sends Stern Warning to Rolly Romero Following Resurfaced Clip Fiasco

What’s your take on Ahmetovs’ recent action of leaking the Claressa Shields knockdown video? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: “I Will Whoop Your A**”: Following Sparring Knockout Controversy, Claressa Shields Blasts Rolly Romero for Jumping In to Gain Attention