By: Sean Crose
Former champion Callum Smith, 29-1, stepped into the ring in Quebec on Saturday night to face 19-0 WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in a main event broadcast on ESPN scheduled for 12. Beterbiev started hitting his man early in the first round, landing to the body and throwing punches with bad intentions. Smith, however, was able to land late in the round. Beterbiev continued to press in the second. Still, Smith was able to move and land to some extent. Beterbiev was clearly the stronger of the two fighters, but Smith was not being defeated.
Beterbiev was patient in the third, but was still able to hit his powerful shots. In the fourth it became clear that, although Smith was fast and fluid, Beterbiev was capable of hitting the brave rival, if not at will, then with dangerous frequency. The truth was that he was hitting his man. The fifth saw more of the same. Suffice it to say that the wear and tear of battle was now evident on Smith’s face. However, there was no doubt that Smith was willing, as he was still fighting for the win in the sixth, no doubt hoping that his speed advantage would eventually change the course of the fight.
In the end, however, Smith was clearly lost. A brutal combination put Smith on the canvas in the seventh. He got up, but a second volley put the challenger back on the canvas for the second time. Legendary trainer Buddy McGirt stepped in and saved his fighter from further abuse by finishing the fight on Smith’s behalf. It was an almost terrifying performance by Beterbiev, who has yet to go far as a professional wrestler. “I think it’s luck,” he said humbly afterwards. Interviewer Bernard Osuna politely and correctly disagreed with the undefeated champion.
“I need a fourth belt,” Beterbiev said when asked if he would like to go for the WBA light heavyweight title, which would make him the undisputed champion of the division, if he won it. That belt is held by Canelo Alvarez’s conqueror, Dmitry Bivol, which means that the fight for the undisputed title, if it happened, would be big news. And sure enough, Beterbiev’s promoter Bob Arum made it clear in the post-fight interview that he feels the fight can be made and can take place in Saudi Arabia. Bivol is certainly something of a fighter, disciplined and extremely skilled. The prospect of him and Beterbiev facing each other in the near future is indeed tantalizing.
