In Quebec City, Quebec, the light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, who is arguably the number one light heavyweight in the world attributed his victory against Callum Smith, the number one contender in the division as a matter of luck. In reality, the clubbing nature of his punches against an opponent who could neither keep Artur away or finds his own range is more likely the culprit.
Originally, the bout was scheduled for last year, but Beterbiev required a jaw surgery after acquiring some kind of infection. This meant that for both boxers more than a year of inactivity would pass between their meeting.
While both boxers were proven entities, Smith was the definitive underdog. For years, Smith was the man at 168lbs, but a controversial victory over John Ryder led to a definitive loss to Canelo eliminated some of the luster off his career.
As time passed, many were hopeful that moving up in weight would reignite the promise of what was once the number 1 man at 168lbs. Moreover, the move did seem fruitful as Callum was able to destroy two game contenders at 175 which is how he secured the ability to challenge Beterbiev in the first place.
Styles Make For Knockouts
However, one thing that has always plagued Smith from a boxing standpoint is his inability to deal with pressure. At more than 6ft 3 inches, Smith boxes somewhat smaller to meet his opponents halfway rather than pressure or frustrate them at a distance. At mid range, virtually any one of his left or right handed combinations can KO an opponent, but at close range, Ryder, Canelo and Beterbiev would catch him off guard.
Interestingly, Beterbiev was able to weather Smith’s sporadic combinations that would have bludgeoned less capable opponents. He punched in response to Smith rather than cover or hold or block excessively. By the third round, Beterbiev threw an occasional short right hand would notably disturb Smith’s willingness to exchange and begin decaying at his ability or punch resistance. In fact, Timothy Bradley argued that right at the end of the 1st round, Artur Beterbiev, had already closed the distance, but maintained a persistent jab nonetheless. The jab was truly the biggest surprise of the night.
As the 6th round ended, a set of stiff combinations from Smith seemed to bother Beterbiev, but this must’ve signaled to him that Smith was able or willing or prone to opening up for too long. Just at the start of the 7th round, a short right hand inside rocked Smith and the resulting sequences led to two knockdowns and his corner waving off the battle.
Showdown With Bivol
All in all, we hope that this culminates into an undisputed battle between Bivol and Beterbiev. However, we also hope that Smith gets right back into it to place himself in contention once more because at times his ability to bother Beterbiev impressed.