Artur Beterbiev cannot escape from the British – Newspaper Kommersant No. 18 (7463) of 02/01/2023

The next opponent of the most titled Russian boxer Artur Beterbiev, who last weekend defended the titles of the International Boxing Federation (IBF), the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in light heavyweight (up to 79.4 kg), knocked out in London Anthony Yarda, may be another Briton – Callum Smith. Smith, the official WBC contender, is much more famous and experienced than Yard, but he earned a reputation playing in the super middleweight category (up to 76.2 kg), and only recently moved to the new one.

The fact that he is going to exercise his right to the match against Artur Beterbiev, Callum Smith said in an interview Sky Sports. He noted that he was confident that he could cope with the Russian boxer, already recognized as a phenomenon in professional boxing. Last weekend Beterbiev won 19th consecutive early victory in his career, knocking out another Briton Anthony Yarde in the eighth round and defending the light heavyweight titles of the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Organization.

Speaking of Artur Beterbiev, Smith called him a “European-style” fighter who “applies pressure, but doesn’t just run forward, but does it smartly” and who has a “heavy punch”.

At the same time, the Briton stressed that he does not consider the Russian “invulnerable”: “I saw other boxers shake and drop him, and I am completely sure that I can too. I have reached the peak of my career and now is the best time to beat him.”

Callum Smith clarified that before the meeting with Artur Beterbiev, he will hold a “warm-up” fight in March. In it, he would like to cross paths with a “worthy opponent” who would “make him train hard.”

The ability to push for a fight with Artur Beterbiev gave Callum Smith his status. It’s the same as Anthony Yard’s. Yard was the official contender for the WBO title, Smith is the WBC contender. The president of this structure, Mauricio Suleiman, has already stated that it is the Briton who should become the next rival of Beterbiev, even if the desires of Suleiman and Smith run counter to the plans of the Russian boxer.

They are well known. Immediately after the victory over Anthony Yard, Artur Beterbiev repeated that his priority option was to fight compatriot Dmitry Bivol, who holds the WBA title, for the title of absolute world champion, which would cause a huge stir. Carl Moretti, the manager of the promotional company Top Rank, which represents the interests of Beterbiev, spoke about the same thing. When asked about plans for a boxer at a press conference in London, he said the name of Dmitry Bivol three times. True, the head of Top Rank, Bob Arum, made it clear that there are certain problems with the organization of the duel, related, for example, to the choice of a resource that could broadcast it.

However, Callum Smith in any case is a good alternative in terms of the demand for the fight. At least he is a much more popular boxer than Anthony Yarde.

Smith has a lot of experience. He has already fought 30 fights, some of them against elite opponents.

Moreover, he once held the title of champion and even won the prestigious World Boxing Super Series tournament, in which, in order to succeed, you need to defeat three consecutive opponents at the top of the various ratings.

However, Callum Smith earned fame in a lighter category – super middleweight. He left her, having suffered the only defeat in his career in December 2020 – from the Mexican Saul Alvarez, who was considered at that moment the undisputed strongest boxer in the world, regardless of the weight category. Smith lost to him on points. Alvarez lost to Dmitry Bivol last May and is now negotiating a rematch to take place in September. And 32-year-old Smith (he is six years younger than Beterbiev) misfire suggested a move to light heavyweight.

In this category, Callum Smith has managed to perform only twice so far. He is fast knocked out and the Dominican Lenin Castillo, and the Frenchman Mathieu Boderlik. Neither one nor the other can be attributed to the fighters of the “highest echelon” after all. However, you need to know that in terms of physical parameters, light heavyweight seems to be ideal for Callum Smith. He is over 190 cm tall (Beterbiev is slightly shorter than the British), and in terms of punching power he has always stood out among the super middleweights.

Alexey Dospekhov