IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and his WBC mandatory Callum Smith met today for their final press conference ahead of this Saturday night’s fight on January 13, 2024, on ESPN for their highly anticipated fight at the Center Videotron in Quebec City. Canada. The start time of the Beterbiev vs. card Smith on Saturday is at 10:00 pm ET on ESPN.
This is Smith’s chance to win three belts from Beterbiev and punch his ticket to life-changing money in a fight against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia.
Impressive Smith, ready to prove his worth
Callum (29-1, 21 KOs) outclassed undefeated monster Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) during their showdown at the end of the press conference, and you could tell he meant business.
Smith enters Saturday’s contest with Beterbiev having won his last two fights since being humiliated by Canelo Alvarez in 2020.
Incredibly, Smith has fought only twice in the last four years, defeating Lenin Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique. Smith got a new trainer, Buddy McGirt, after the loss to Canelo, but he hasn’t been as active as he was before his loss.
Callum Smith: “I think it will be exciting. He’s a champion, a three-belt champion, so I think his accomplishments speak for themselves. I think my best version surpasses anyone in the world and I stand by that. I think I’ve proven that over the last few years with Buddy. [McGirt]”Smith said during today’s final press conference.
“Now that I am ready to become a two-division champion, an opportunity is presented to me this weekend and an opportunity that I plan to take advantage of.”
Buddy McGirt: “I think he’s very underrated. I think a lot of people underestimate him. [Callum Smith], and will show what he can do on Saturday night. You can’t go into a fight thinking about your [Beterbiev] record. We know what we have in front of us. We are not stupid.
“We know it is a difficult task and we are prepared for it. If you’re worried about all that, you’re in the wrong business. So, we know what we have in front of us; We know what is coming towards us. So when the bell rings, he takes three steps in and I take three steps out. So, we are ready.
“Now it’s all about him coming in and going about his business on Saturday night.”
Smith is not intimidated by inactivity
Callum Smith: “Technically I’ve done three camps so I’ve always been in the gym. There was a postponed fight in August and then he was supposed to fight in March. So, I haven’t left the gym in 17 months. I’ve been in the gym, constantly learning and constantly working with Buddy.
“I think I have made good use of my time. Inactivity is not ideal, but it is not like he has been injured. I have been constantly improving as a fighter. So I don’t worry too much about that. In my last fight I was out eleven months before and it didn’t bother me too much.
“You can’t read too much into that. As long as you’ve had a good camp, you’ll come in, listen, and act; I’m not too worried. Massive. When I was younger I was asked if there was pressure being the youngest of four siblings. [brothers from a boxing family] fighting brothers.
“I always felt the opposite. It was a benefit. I have three very good fighters to look up to and they are the first people I turn to when I need advice. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better just by listening and watching over the years. I just think it’s beneficial to have three fighters who know what you’re going through this week.
“They know when to leave me alone; They know when to support me. So, it’s huge to have that in the family. Hopefully we will be successful this weekend and have more success for the family.”
Beterbiev: focused and unfazed by pressure
Artur Beterbiev: “No, I am focused on the fight. I’m happy you’re coming to see us. I have things to do, other things to do”, on whether Beterbiev feels pressured by this fight with Callum.
“When you are an athlete, your life changes. It’s my job. I am happy to be a boxer; I am an athlete. In Quebec, people are very interested in sports and practice it. For example, at seven in the morning I get a little lazy and I see all the people, 77 and 80-somethings, and you’re not tired for this morning.”
Callum Smith: “Yes, that gives you a bit of a test, but regardless of whether they are there to cheer me on or are against me, I have a job to do when the bell rings; I am focused on my opponent. It’s good to have them there for you. If they don’t encourage you, I will still be there to do the same.
“You get tunnel vision when you’re there, so you don’t hear them as much. It’s good if they are for you, but my goal is still to become world champion.”
High altitude advantage
Marc Ramsay: “It’s always good. It’s a protocol we’ve had for a long time and we’ve been successful with that protocol,” Ramsay, Beterbiev’s coach, said of Artur’s visit to the mountains in Russia during the first part of his training camp.
“It’s simply the fact that you will go to high altitude so that the training camps start immediately and to make sure that you don’t start the actual training camp from scratch, as if you are already in good shape when you arrive at the training camp in the United States. Joined.
“This is very important. We love seeing all the publicity that ESPN is doing internationally. It’s very good, but it’s a bit like Artur says now. We are very focused on what we have to do on Saturday.
“We can’t think too much about ‘Oh, ESPN is there.’ There are 10,000 people.’ “That’s fine, but that’s not the main goal right now.”
Callum Smith: “Hugely,” Smith said of how his coach, Buddy, has improved his game. “Hopefully we will see improvements this weekend. It just made me better in areas I needed. Obviously, when I lost to Canelo under the lights, there were areas I needed to sort out to make changes to my team.
“The first was moving to train with Buddy. I feel like every day is a school day. I improve, I learn in the gym and that is making me a better fighter in all aspects.”
A fight for the ages
Buddy McGirt: “Fights like this are what boxing needs, and if I wasn’t in the corner, I would pay to see this fight because it’s the best fighting the best. It’s a fight going on. You have the two best in the division facing each other, while you have a champion fighting a guy no one has heard of. That’s not good.
“So, Top Rank and Eddie Hearn, thank you for putting this together and I think it’s great for boxing. “We need more things like this.”
Callum Smith: “That I need to be better, I need to make changes after that,” Smith said when asked what he learned from his loss to Canelo. “I changed trainers and changed my weight class. I changed my vision of the sport and set new goals for myself. The main one was to become world champion in a new weight division.
“I’ve worked hard for the last two or three years since that fight, and now I’m in a position where I’m fighting for three world titles. As I said before, it is an opportunity that I do not intend to miss. I plan to perform the best I can this weekend. The best version of me beats Artur Beterbiev.”
Artur Beterbiev: “Ask me after the fight, please,” Beterbiev said when asked what else he thinks he has to accomplish in the sport if he emerges victorious against Smith on Saturday night.
