Artur Beterbiev will put his WBC, IBF and WBO world titles on the line this weekend when he defends his light-heavyweight world titles against Callum Smith in Canada’s Quebec City.
The two hard-hitting fighters will finally meet five months after they were originally supposed to meet in August after Beterbiev had to pull out of the fight with a jaw infection.
Beterbiev has been dubbed by some experts as the scariest fighter in boxing and has stopped all 19 of his opponents during his professional career.
This will be the Russian’s ninth world title fight since beating Enrico Koelling for the vacant IBF strap in 2017, adding Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s WBC title in 2019 and Joe Smith Jr’s WBO title in 2022 to his collection along the way.
However, a back and forth fight with Britain’s Anthony Yarde last time out in January 2023 has offered hope that Smith could be the man to finally dethrone the 38-year-old light-heavyweight king.
Smith, who held a world title at super-middleweight between 2018 and 2020 before losing to pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez, has won both of his fights at light-heavyweight via stoppage.
The winner could well go on to fight WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light-heavyweight titles later this year, with Saudi Arabia reportedly keen to stage the bout.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of this weekend’s fight between Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith.
When is Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith?
Beterbiev vs Smith will take place on Saturday, January 13, at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
Coverage is due to begin at 1am GMT on Sunday, January 14 (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday).
“He’s not invincible, he does lose rounds.” Callum Smith believes he can be the first to KO Artur Beterbiev when the pair meet in their highly anticipated light-heavyweight unification. ⚔️#BeterbievSmith – Jan 14 pic.twitter.com/0xQUKimfk2
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 6, 2024
What time will the ringwalk be for Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith?
No time has yet been announced for the main-event ring walks.
How can I watch Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith?
The fight will be available to stream on ESPN+ in the U.S, while Sky Sports will broadcast the fight in the UK.
Who is on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith?
Artur Beterbiev (champion) vs Callum Smith (WBC, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles)
Jason Moloney (champion) vs Saul Sanchez (WBO bantamweight title)
Christian Mbilli vs Rohan Murdock (super-middleweight)
Imam Khataev vs Rodolfo Gomez Jr (light-heavyweight)
Christopher Guerrero vs Sergio Garcia Herrera (welterweight)
Mehmet Unal vs Dragan Lepei (light-heavyweight)
Leila Beaudoin vs Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza (women’s super-featherweight)
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Moreno Fendero vs Victor Hugo Flores (super-middleweight)
Wilkens Mathieu vs TBA (super-middleweight)
What are people saying about Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith?
Artur Beterbiev (champion)
“One category lower he was champion,” Beterbiev said of Smith to Sky Sports. “First of all, he’s coming up to our category.
“175lbs is 175lbs and we’ll see what happens there. Maybe in the lower category, he’s good there but here it’s 175. After we can say how is he. We’ll see. We’ll see.
“Like all my opponents, he’s a good boxer. He’s a good fighter, a good challenge for me. Like everyone. I try to be ready for this challenge 100 per cent, like usual.
“I know he will bring everything for this fight and I bring everything for this fight. And we will see who is better.”
When Artur Beterbiev smells blood… it's all over! 😤🩸#BeterbievSmith | Jan 14 pic.twitter.com/CRQ9cRoyKf
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 5, 2024
Callum Smith (challenger)
“He’s a very good fighter, his record speaks for itself, but he’s not invincible, he can be hit and he can be hurt, we’ve seen that,” Smith told ESPN. “I believe he can be hurt and he can be put over. I know I can put him over and we have worked on that, I believe I can finish Artur Beterbiev.
“I don’t watch him thinking I can’t beat him. I believe the best version of me can beat him and I believe the timing is right on my side. We don’t know if he’s aging yet, but I just know that I’m in with a big puncher and because of that he keeps me more switched on.”
Dmitry Bivol (WBA world champion)
“For me, Beterbiev is the favourite,” he told Sporting News. “I see he has more experience and he’s strong. Callum Smith is tall but he doesn’t use his height. He doesn’t do this.
“He’s trying to get inside his opponents. If we see the fight close, of course Beterbiev is better at close distance. That’s how I see it, maybe I’m wrong.”
Eddie Hearn (Matchroom Boxing chairman and Smith’s promoter)
“I’m going because I fancy it, I really fancy it. We signed Callum Smith 13 years ago. I’m going because I’m supporting him, and I also believe he’s going to win,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel.
“I see him knocking Beterbiev out. It’s a tough task. Beterbiev is a monster, arguably the number one light-heavyweight in the world. We think it’s Dmitry Bivol or maybe even Callum Smith. Those three. You’ve got Yarde. We’ve got some great light-heavyweights.
“It’s doable. I can see it. Every time I think about the fight, I can see it, and if he does do it, it’ll be a massive, massive win for a British fighter, and it’ll take him straight to the undisputed shot against Dmitry Bivol.”
