There isn’t long to go now before fearsome three-belt light heavyweight ruler Artur Beterbiev makes his ring return, this after a year on the shelf, the 38-year-old to face former 168-pound champ Callum Smith in Canada on Saturday night. And there are some interesting, perhaps surprising, pre-fight predictions floating around out there.
Beterbiev-Smith and Christian Mbilli-Rohan Murdock will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ Saturday beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Eddie Hearn has said numerous times that he “feels” Smith will pull off the win, this by shock KO. While over at RingTV.com, in the publication’s customary big fight poll of experts, one or two fight people are also picking underdog Smith to pull off the upset KO win – with writer Anson Wainwright going for Smith via TKO7, with Tom Gray, former managing editor of Ring Magazine going for Smith TKO6, with matchmaker Robert Diaz picking Smith by split decision win, and with trainer Tony Sims going for Smith via either late stoppage or with a points win.
These people know what they’re talking about, and their opinions have to be respected. Some experts have pointed, and are pointing, to Beterbiev’s age (he will turn 39 a few days after Saturday night’s fight) and his year of inactivity. Also, Beterbiev was sidelined due to a tooth infection that saw him undergo jaw surgery. Add it all up, and some people do see the upset.
But not the bookmakers. The money people who have to get it right to stay in business currently have Russia’s Beterbiev listed as a 5:1 favorite to defeat Britain’s Smith and retain his three 175-pound belts. These numbers make sense when we consider Beterbiev’s quite impressive numbers, his perfect record reading 19-0, with all 19 wins coming inside the distance.
And in terms of inactivity, Smith, 29-1(21), has been out of action even longer than has Beterbiev, with the former WBA and Ring Magazine super middleweight champ not having fought since August of 2022. If Beterbiev’s year-long layoff makes some people feel the defending champion will be affected by rust, then surely the 17-month layoff Smith has endured will see to it that the challenger has to battle some ring-rust himself?
But Saturday’s fight could be a great one, an all-action fight. Smith needs to open up, let his hands go (at the same time paying close attention to defence, naturally), and use his height and his reach to good effect, this by making the older man work hard. If Smith can do this and not get blasted by something big (this, of course, is easier said than done), then maybe the 33-year-old can bag a points win.
But in terms of the fight ending via KO, the man to do it will be Beterbiev. What do you like, Beterbiev by KO, or Smith by decision?
Or maybe you have another fight result in mind?