Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith: complete list of fights before the main event

It may be that Artur Beterbiev will get his shot at the current undisputed light heavyweight title holder, Dmitry Bivol, this year. The only problem is he’s got to deal with England’s Callum Smith first and that could prove to be a problem.

Can Callum Smith defeat Artur Beterbiev? He thinks so.

On Saturday night, Artur Beterbiev will defend his IBF, WBC, and WBO belts against Liverpool’s own Callum Smith at the Videotron Center in Quebec City, Canada. Having turned professional in 2013, Beterbiev has gone on to amass an impressive record of 19-0. The Russian/Canadian has held light heavyweight gold since 2017 and has won all fights via knockout. Quite frankly, it’s been eye-opening to see the way in which the 38-year-old has manhandled each and every one of his opponents.

Then, we’ve got the scouser. At 33 years old Callum Smith has actually seen more action despite being younger than his opponent. Since joining the professional ranks in 2012, the former super middleweight champion has seen 30 fights and lost one of them, albeit to a monster of the sport, Canelo Alvarez. Incidentally, it was after that defeat that Smith joined light heavyweight. Since then he’s got a record of 2-0 with both wins coming by way of knockout. Though he is clearly the underdog, the Englishman believes he’s got what it takes to beat the champion.

“People make out he’s this beast. Part of him is 19 fights with 19 knockouts. He’s got a great record, and his achievements speak for themselves, but he has been hurt twice, and he does get hit quite a bit,” Smith said. “He’s not an elusive, hard-to-hit fighter. I do see ways in which I believe I can win. If somebody’s there for me to hit, I definitely believe I can hurt them, and when I’ve seen other fighters hurt them, I definitely believe I can do the same. I’m going over there with the full belief that if I catch him, I hurt him, and if I hurt him, I believe I can get rid of him.”

What about the undercard?

While it’s safe to say that most will be focused on the main event, there is in fact another major bout on the card, in addition to a number of fights that will feature rising stars. In total, boxing fans will see two world title fights and six different weight categories on Saturday night. You can see the full undercard below:

We’ll be keeping a close eye on proceedings...