Artur Beterbiev defends his WBO, WBC and IBF light heavyweight titles against Callum Smith from Quebec City, Canada, on January 13th.
The pressure is on Beterbiev since Dmitry Bivol has signed up for an undisputed fight to face him. This is provided Beterbiev beats Smith. Beterbiev has a hundred percent knockout rate with 19 wins. His last victory was over Anthony Yarde as he stopped the Brit. But the performance was not his best, getting hit flush on more than one occasion, as questions over his age began to emerge.
Beterbiev Vs. Smith
Beterbiev is 38 and has not fought in around a year. He was meant to face Smith in August, but a jaw infection meant he pulled out. Smith’s only loss has been against Canelo Alvarez. He was the WBA super middleweight champion, but following the loss to Canelo, he moved up to 175.
Smith looks much stronger at the weight, stopping his last two opponents. But he has not fought since 2022, as inactivity could play a part. Beterbiev is the favorite, but some boxing insiders did pick Smith to win. Let us take a look at the predictions.
Beterbiev Vs. Smith Predictions
“Obviously Callum Smith’s going to knock out Beterbiev and then fight Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship. I can actually see the knockout now. If you close your eyes, everyone, play this little game at home. Close your eyes, slip bang left hook, and Smith is the unified world champion,” Eddie Hearn
“Everything could happen. Year by year we are not getting younger. If we see Callum Smith’s boxing style, he lets his opponents come close. He’s tall, but he’s letting them come close. To be honest it doesn’t matter for me [who wins]. I just think about belts, even this fight I didn’t think too much about which person is against me. I thought about who’s better for the rankings and who has the belts,” Dmitry Bivol
Further Predictions
“Beterbiev is a massive puncher, yet he’s a very, very good fighter. He is also not just a massive puncher, but yes, he’s vulnerable, yes he’s been down, yes, he gets hit, yes, he’s getting very, very old. I’m sure he’s 40, or he’s 39 a week later um, again, that’s going to take a soul sooner or later. Smith wins that’s a great fight, and I think,” Liam Smith
“It could be the right timing for Smith. You see that chinks in his armour even against Yarde…So I’m leaning towards Callum Smith,” Michael Conlan
“Smith I mean, I love Beterbiev to death. But the man’s about 74 years of age, and he’s been in hard fights since he was nine. I think it’s right for Callum,” Steve Bunce
“Beterbiev is a very clever fighter. He knows how to manoeuvre you in the ring, where he wants to manoeuvre you. He throws his hands and wrists and his forearms are so strong that he doesn’t have to load up on the punch,” Virgil Hunter
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