Category: Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith

Artur Beterbiev doesn’t fight like a guy who is going to turn 39 on Jan. 21.

The 175-pound titleholder dominated another good opponent Saturday in Quebec City, Canada, this time dropping Callum Smith twice and stopping him the seventh round.

Beterbiev has now stopped all 20 of his professional opponents.

The winner outjabbed, outboxed and outworked Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) from the first round, patiently, methodically stalking him and gradually breaking him down.

Smith, a former 168-pound champion, had some good moments — Beterbiev is hittable — but he had neither the ability nor the punching power to slow down the winner.

The end came suddenly. Beterbiev landed a right hand to the temple of Smith about a minute into Round 7, buckling the knees of the Englishman. He followed with a vicious barrage that ultimately put Smith down for the first time in his career.

Smith was able to get up but took another series of hard shots that put him on the canvas a second time about 30 seconds later. At the point, his trainer, Buddy McGirt, jumped into the ring to save his fighter from taking more punishment.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:00 of Round 7.

The CompuBox statistics reflected Beterbiev’s dominance. He landed 182 of 471 punches overall (38.6%) to 59 of 366 (16.1%) for Smith. Also, he had an 87-31 edge in power punches.

Beterbiev was modest afterward.

“It’s because of luck,” he said. “It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck.”

He went on: “We had a couple strategies. We always have more than one. We need to be prepared for several strategies. He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong. Thanks to him. Today, luck is on my side.”

The victory could set up a title-unification showdown with Dmitry Bivol, as both men reportedly agreed to the fight.

Bivol has already enjoyed success at the pinnacle of the sport, outpointing superstar Canelo Alvarez in May 2022. Bivol would be the most accomplished opponent in Beterbiev’s career.

The winner would become undisputed champion and the most respected 175-pounder of the era.

“Yes, of course [I want the Bivol fight],” Beterbiev said. “I need another belt. It would mean a lot to me.”

Artur Beterbiev doesn’t fight like a guy who is going to turn 39 on Jan. 21.

The 175-pound titleholder dominated another good opponent Saturday in Quebec City, Canada, this time dropping Callum Smith twice and stopping him the seventh round.

Beterbiev has now stopped all 20 of his professional opponents.

The winner outjabbed, outboxed and outworked Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) from the first round, patiently, methodically stalking him and gradually breaking him down.

Smith, a former 168-pound champion, had some good moments — Beterbiev is hittable — but he had neither the ability nor the punching power to slow down the winner.

The end came suddenly. Beterbiev landed a right hand to the temple of Smith about a minute into Round 7, buckling the knees of the Englishman. He followed with a vicious barrage that ultimately put Smith down for the first time in his career.

Smith was able to get up but took another series of hard shots that put him on the canvas a second time about 30 seconds later. At the point, his trainer, Buddy McGirt, jumped into the ring to save his fighter from taking more punishment.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:00 of Round 7.

The CompuBox statistics reflected Beterbiev’s dominance. He landed 182 of 471 punches overall (38.6%) to 59 of 366 (16.1%) for Smith. Also, he had an 87-31 edge in power punches.

Beterbiev was modest afterward.

“It’s because of luck,” he said. “It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck.”

He went on: “We had a couple strategies. We always have more than one. We need to be prepared for several strategies. He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong. Thanks to him. Today, luck is on my side.”

The victory could set up a title-unification showdown with Dmitry Bivol, as both men reportedly agreed to the fight.

Bivol has already enjoyed success at the pinnacle of the sport, outpointing superstar Canelo Alvarez in May 2022. Bivol would be the most accomplished opponent in Beterbiev’s career.

The winner would become undisputed champion and the most respected 175-pounder of the era.

“Yes, of course [I want the Bivol fight],” Beterbiev said. “I need another belt. It would mean a lot to me.”

It’s difficult to imagine Artur Beterbiev losing.

That’s the result of the 175-pound titleholder’s perfect resume: 19 fights, 19 knockouts. No fighter in the world has been more dominating than the imposing Canada-based Russian.

That being said, some wonder whether Beterbiev is ripe for a downfall. Consider:

• He turns 39 on Jan. 21, an age when most fighters are in decline or well into their second careers.
• He hasn’t been particularly active, with only two fights over the past two-plus years (knockouts of Joe Smith Jr. and Anthony Yarde).
• His toughest tests could lie ahead. He faces former 168-pound champ Callum Smith on Saturday in Quebec City (ESPN, ESPN+) and appears to be on a collision course with fellow beltholder and principal threat Dmitry Bivol.

• And he recently had surgery to treat an infection in his jaw bone, which contributed to his inactivity. He was originally set to face Smith this past August.

All that could mean that Beterbiev’s record and place among the best in the business is in jeopardy.

One knowledgeable insider believes Smith is going to deliver an upset even though the Englishman faltered badly the last time he stepped up in class, losing a one-sided decision to Canelo Alvarez in 2020.

“I’ve picked Smith to win,” the insider said, “but it’s a timing pick. Beterbiev is almost 40 years old. He’s always been hittable, and Yarde’s punches were backing him up. I also hear that jaw infection/injury was really bad.

“[But] if [Beterbiev is] in top form, Smith is in trouble.”

The oddsmakers evidently believe Beterbiev is fit. They made him a 4-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets).

However, he did look vulnerable against Yarde until a hard right hand led to another knockout in the eighth round. The challenger was leading on two of the three cards after seven.

The same can be said of his fight with capable Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019, when Beterbiev came from behind to score a 10^th-round stoppage in arguably his toughest outing.

Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) fell flat against Alvarez but has looked formidable before and since. He has won his two fights following his setback, knockouts of second-tier opponents Lenin Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique at 175 pounds.

And the Liverpudlian is recharged under new trainer Buddy McGirt. He obviously faces an uphill battle but he seems to be ready.

“He’s a very good fighter,” Smith said of his opponent. “He’s a three-belt champion. So his achievements speak for themselves. But I believe in myself. I always have.”

Beterbiev and his handlers also believe in him.

The fighter didn’t say much at a news conference Thursday but made it clear that he has put in the work required to succeed, saying, “I’m excited, just like I am for every fight. For this fight, we prepared like we usually do, which is at 100 percent.”

His head trainer, Marc Ramsay, respects Smith but he expects his protégé to remain unbeaten on Saturday night.

“He’s a good fighter,” Ramsay said of Smith. “He’s complete. He’s No. 1 for a reason. But at the end of the day, Artur has been boxing since he was 9. He’s seen everything.”

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