Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith Preview, Date, & Undercard

Undefeated and unified light-heavyweight(175 lbs) champion, Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19KOs) is set to defend his WBC, WBO, and IBF titles against former WBA super-middleweight(168 lbs) world champion and current light heavyweight contender, Callum “Mundo” Smith (29-1, 21KOs) very near Beterbiev’s adopted home of Montreal, in Quebec City, Quebec this Saturday. This fight was initially going to take place in August of 2023 but was postponed due to an infection in Beterbiev’s jaw. Now, 5 months later, both men are healthy and ready for action in this exciting match-up that’s more likely than not to end early. To add to the excitement, whichever gets the victory will very likely face WBA and IBO light-heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol, to unify all major titles and become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion since Roy Jones jr in 2002, and the very first in the four belt era.

Artur Beterbiev boasting a 100% knockout ratio in his 19 professional fights tells you just about all you need to know as far as his power goes. Watching him get those knockouts would show just how technically impressive his offense can be. 

After beating Enrico Koeling in 2017 to become the IBF world title holder in just his 12th professional match, he has not only defended it 7 times, he also picked up the WBC from Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019 and the WBO title from Joe Smith jr. in 2022. When he wasn’t in unification bouts, he was defending against such highly regarded light-heavyweights as Callum Johnson, Marcus Browne, and had a fight of the year contender when he faced Anthony Yarde in January of 2023, a year full of fantastic fights.

Callum Smith moved up to light-heavyweight from super-middleweight only a couple of fights ago, but he is far from undersized. Actually, at 6’4” he’s the tallest light heavyweight in the top 10 by a couple of inches. His power is not to be underestimated either. In 29 victories he’s accrued 21 knockouts, and among those, quite a few are absolute highlights.

Smith spent the vast majority of his professional career competing at super-middleweight. He went undefeated for the first 27 matches and even picked up a WBA super title from UK legend, George Groves. In December of 2020 Smith faced none other than Canelo Alvarez. The fight ended with Canelo adding Callum’s belt to his collection and Smith taking his lone loss, starting his ascent toward light heavyweight success. 

Beterbiev has been nothing less than formidable his entire career. That said, the man turns 39 years old only 8 days after this match is set to take place. With father time remaining undefeated, and the holes in his defense becoming more apparent with every outing, the big question is whether Beterbiev is still at the top of his game.

Smith, 33 years old, on the other hand seems to be thriving at 175 lbs. Though the sample size is admittedly small, it’s quite apparent that not having to lose the extra 7 lbs to make weight has been just what was needed for the Liverpool native to be at the top of his own game.

With the skill of each man, and the stakes at hand, there are a lot of ways their match on Saturday could end. Regardless of its conclusion, it’s sure to be a fun night of boxing.