By: Sean Crose
“I’ve never seen snow like we’re seeing here,” Callum Smith told Ariel Helwani on Wednesday ahead of their light heavyweight title fight this weekend in Quebec. On Saturday he will have a lot of work ahead of him, since his opponent will be the feared Artur Beterbiev. This, however, is Smith’s second chance at glory. In 2020, Smith was in possession of the WBA super middleweight world championship when he faced Canelo Álvarez. The red-headed star proved to be simply too strong for the speedy Smith, who ended up losing to Canelo courtesy of a unanimous decision from the judges.
Smith feels that this time, in the cold Quebec night, things will be different. “He’s been hit, he’s gone down twice professionally,” Smith told Helwani of Beterbiev. Still, Smith clearly felt that he should give credit where credit was due. “His accomplishments speak for themselves,” he added. “He is an undefeated world champion, he has knocked out everyone he has faced and has three world titles.” However, Smith wanted to make it clear that he does not see Beterbiev as invincible. “Mike Tyson can lose,” he said. “Roy Jones can lose. Don’t tell me Beterbiev is unbeatable…he’s a good fighter, but he’s not the hardest person to hit. He can be hit.” “
“I just have to believe in myself and how good I am,” he said. However, Smith will need more than just self-confidence this weekend if he is to overtake the feared Beterbiev. Smith, however, seemed confident as he spoke to Helwani. “I think my best version,” he said, “can beat anyone on the planet.” Helwani wondered if the loss to Canelo ended up helping Smith’s game. “When you lose, it highlights areas you need to improve,” he said. “Many people judge me for that performance (against Canelo). “It was a bad performance.” In other words, Smith has no intention of stepping into the ring Saturday night as the same fighter he was against Canelo.
With many people expecting a showdown between Beterbiev and Canelo’s conqueror Dmitry Bivol sooner rather than later, Smith will certainly upset the proverbial apple cart if he shocks the fight world by beating Beterbiev this weekend in Canada. On the other hand, he won’t be the first fighter to cause shockwaves throughout the sport. Francis Ngannou of UFC fame nearly bested Tyson Fury not long ago, and it’s only been a few weeks since Joseph Parker upset Deontay Wilder. In a sport full of surprises, Smith hopes to pull off an upset of his own on Saturday.
Image courtesy of Top Rank
