Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) extended his knockout streak with a knockout victory over Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) on Saturday night.
The fight led a Kidding and the Eye of the Tiger Management co-promotion at the Vidéotron Center in Quebec City, Canada. Viewers in the United States were able to watch the action on ESPN, while Sky Sports Main Event broadcast the card to those in the United Kingdom. Those in Canada could watch the event as a PPV or with a three-month subscription to Punching Grace.
Artur Beterbiev attacks Smith in seven
How to watch Artur Beterbiev’s fights
Select a VPN service that is optimized for streaming. We recommend PIA VPN. Download the VPN and connect to the server from 80+ countries. Sign in to a boxing streaming service. Stream it no matter where you are!
Artur Beterbiev stops Smith in the seventh round
Beterbiev began to have success in the first round. Smith mostly stayed against the ropes, allowing the Russian-born Canadian to land eye-catching combinations. In the second round, no one took risks, respecting each other’s power. The most shocking shots came from Beterbiev. In the third round, some blood was pouring from Smith’s nose.
The Liverpool player was left visibly dazed in the fourth as Beterbiev began to apply increasing pressure. Swelling began to become visible on Smith’s face. The British fighter had some success against the reigning champion, but it had little impact on the pressure Beterbiev was applying.
In the seventh round, Smith fell to the canvas for the first time in his professional career just after the minute mark. He beat the count and continued fighting, but not for long. A flurry of punches from Beterbiev once again floored the former super middleweight champion. Although Smith got up, trainer James “Buddy” McGirt came into the ring to stop the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:00 of the seventh round. With the victory, Beterbiev now has eight successful world title defenses. He retains his WBC, WBO and IBF belts. Attention will now focus on an undisputed clash with WBA champion Dmitry Bivol.
ONE MAN DEMO TEAM ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/kFCnZhPXDt
– Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 14, 2024
Post-fight interview
Beterbiev
“it’s by luck“Beterbiev said. “He’s my coach, our team is working hard with me, maybe that’s why [I won the fight], also. But I think it’s luck..”
“We have a couple of strategies… you need to be prepared for several strategies and he [Smith] He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong, it’s okay. Thank you for the. Today luck is on my side..”
Christian Mbilli throws the kitchen sink at Rohan Murdock in Win
Just before the main event, Christian Mbilli (26-0, 22 KOs) threw the kitchen sink at him Rohan Murdock (27-3, 19 KOs) en route to a sixth-round knockout victory.
The 10-round super middleweight clash ended when the Australian’s corner indicated they no longer wished to continue at the end of the sixth. From the opening bell, Mbilli landed several hard blows at Murdock, who remained standing. The nature of Mbilli’s style meant that he sometimes took hits, but those moments of success for Murdock were few and far between.
In the end, Murdock’s corner believed he had taken too much punishment and stopped the fight. With the victory, Mbilli continues his march towards the world title. At the moment, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez He is the undisputed super middleweight champion. In his post-fight interview, Mbilli expressed his desire to face Canelo.
“cinnamon is the best,” he said. “Everyone knows that Canelo is the best. Now I want to show that I am the best in the division. That’s why my goal is to fight Canelo. I will do everything I can to fight Canelo.“
Also on the Beterbiev-Smith card, Jason Moloney retained his WBO bantamweight title with an exciting majority decision over Saúl Sánchez.
Share This Event
