Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will stage Artur Beterbiev's next light heavyweight title defence against Callum Smith in August. The fight will occur in Quebec City and be broadcast on ESPN. Beterbiev holds the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles in the division.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum successfully secured the rights to stage Artur Beterbiev's title defence against Callum Smith by outbidding Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing with a slim margin of $15,000. If Hearn had won the bid, the fight might have taken place in Smith's hometown of Liverpool, adding pressure on Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), an Olympic veteran, to secure a knockout victory. This scenario aimed to avoid a controversial outcome similar to John Ryder's loss to Smith in November 2019, which resulted in a disputed unanimous decision.
Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) holds the mandatory position for Artur Beterbiev's (19-0, 19 KOs) WBC light heavyweight title, as the World Boxing Council ordered. Without this mandatory obligation, Beterbiev would likely be preparing to face Dmitry Bivol, the WBA 175-pound champion, for the undisputed championship in the summer.
Despite the WBC mandate, fans have preferred a Beterbiev-Bivol matchup over the fight against Smith. Smith's lacklustre performance in a one-sided loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2020 has raised doubts about his ability to provide a competitive challenge to Beterbiev.
Bob Arum confirmed that the Beterbiev vs Smith fight would occur in French Canada, specifically Montreal or Quebec. The scheduled date for the bout is set for early August.
While the decision to fight in French Canada adds a regional flavour to the event, some fans may have hoped for a more neutral location. Nevertheless, Arum's confirmation clarifies the time and place for the anticipated title defence.
As the boxing world eagerly awaits the matchup, opinions remain divided on the opponent's choice for Beterbiev. The outcome of the Beterbiev-Smith clash will determine whether the light heavyweight division moves closer to unification or opens up possibilities for future matchups against other contenders.
Since his one-sided 12-round unanimous decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in December 2020 in San Antonio, Texas, the tall and slender 6'3" Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) has not faced a noteworthy opponent in the ring.
Following his defeat to Canelo Alvarez, Callum Smith's performance against the champion overwhelmed him, often backed against the ropes, resembling a sparring partner rather than a formidable opponent.
After the loss, Smith moved up to the 175-pound division, and his promoter Eddie Hearn strategically matched him with lesser-known fighters such as Lenin Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique to secure his WBC mandatory position for a title shot against Artur Beterbiev.
Bauderlique, whom Smith defeated to become Beterbiev's mandatory challenger, had previously suffered a first-round knockout defeat to Dragan Lepei, a fighter with a less impressive record.
As a result, some boxing fans argue that Callum Smith did not do enough to earn the mandatory position, suggesting that he should have faced tougher opponents like Craig Richards or Joshua Buatsi instead of Bauderlique.