This one was supposed to be in the bag months ago.
A jaw ailment was the latest injury delay for a light heavyweight destroyer whose fragility is at odds with the destruction Artur Beterbiev has delivered in the ring. Opponents have had to grow accustomed to waiting for what ultimately has been a perfect run of early finishes. In 2015, it was a shoulder injury; a rib in 2020. The Anthony Yarde defense last year? It was delayed for an injury as well.
Beterbiev missed all of 2020 and managed only one fight a year in 2022 and 2023. Let’s hope 2024 doesn’t make it a hat trick. There is hope that this year could finally see Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol to determine the best light heavyweight of their shared time atop the class.
Callum Smith would surely love to make that into a Smith-Bivol showdown instead. Smith has won two straight by knockout since taking a violent, lopsided beating against Saul Alvarez in 2020. Can the taller, younger Smith be the first man to avoid joining Beterbiev’s perfect knockout statistic on Saturday (ESPN, 10 PM EST)?
Can he do even more than that and win?
Let’s get into it.
Stats and Stakes
Artur Beterbiev
Age: 38
Titles: IBF Light Heavyweight (2017-Present, 7 Defenses); Lineal/TBRB/WBC Light Heavyweight (2019-Present, 4 Defenses); WBO Light Heavyweight (2022-Present, 1 Defense)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’11 ½
Weight: 175 lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Khasavyurt, Russia
Record: 19-0, 19 KO
Record in Major Title Fights: 8-0, 8 KO
Last Five Opponents: 111-7-1 (.937)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Tavoris Cloud KO2; Gabriel Campillo KO4; Oleksandr Gvozdyk TKO10; Marcus Browne KO9; Joe Smith Jr. TKO2; Anthony Yarde TKO8
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None
Vs.
Callum Smith
Age: 33
Current Titles: None
Previous Titles: WBA/Ring Super Middleweight (2018-20, 2 Defenses)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 168 lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Record: 29-1, 21 KO
Press Rankings: #3 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN)
Record in Major Title Fights: 3-1, 2 KO
Last Five Opponents: 160-12-3 (.923)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: George Groves KO7; Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam TKO3; John Ryder UD12; Saul Alvarez L12
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None
The Pick: Beterbiev’s age, inactivity, and latest injury raise the question of just when it will be that his body fails him in live fire instead of on the way there. Assuming that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to see a path to victory for Smith. It’s not that Beterbiev is invulnerable. We’ve seen him dropped and rocked in the past by Callum Johnson and Smith’s left hook is certainly a potent weapon. However, Beterbiev is more than a big puncher. He’s an excellent, cerebral pressure fighter highly adept at cutting off the ring. Alvarez beat Smith silly, attacking the arms and body of Smith. Beterbiev doesn’t have the same defensive slickness of Alvarez but when he lands at close range the impact appears worse. Smith has seemed more comfortable at light heavyweight than he was in his last couple super middleweight fights but he wasn’t being hit like he will on Saturday. The pick is Beterbiev by stoppage.
Rold Picks 2024: 0-0
Rold Picks 2023 – Final: 44-15
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com