On the evening of Saturday, Callum Smith entered the ring with the intention of accomplishing something that Artur Beterbiev’s previous 19 opponents had been unable to do: defeat the Dagestani-based juggernaut.
Over the course of a year, the light heavyweight champion of the WBC, IBF, and WBO has been suspended from competition. Before Beterbiev’s match against Smith, there were rumors that ‘father time’ had finally caught up with him. Beterbiev, who will turn 39 on January 21st, was the subject of controversy.
But it turned out that ‘Mundo’ was no match for the power of the champion who had not yet lost a fight. Despite the fact that the Scouser had a few excellent moments throughout the fight, Beterbiev’s unrelenting pressure and striking strength were more than enough to defeat his opponent.
Despite the fact that the fight was stopped in the seventh round due to two different knockdowns, the Dagestani managed to keep his perfect finish rate and go up to a perfect 20-0 record.
Eddie Hearn, who plays the role of promoter for Callum Smith, has now expressed his thoughts on the situation. The Chairman of Matchroom Boxing heaped praise on Arter Beterbiev’s performance and claimed that ‘Mundo’ put up a battle that was worthy of being proud of.
To quote Hearn:
Astonishing. Just like he’s not a human being. He has a lot of strength, which is almost like having an unfair advantage working against him. Because he is a machine, he was barely breathing at all. Because Beterbiev is known for getting off to a slow start, I thought that Callum probably started off a little bit too slowly. As a result of his respect for Callum, Beterbiev exhibited a rather subdued demeanor tonight. Also, he was a very skilled boxer. In addition, his defense was strong.
He went on to say:
Beterbiev was hit with a pair of left hooks, but they were so close to his nose that they were missed. Furthermore, he had a successful second round, Callum. Furthermore, by the sixth round, I had the impression that he was beginning to accumulate some momentum. On the other hand, the difficulty is that as the rounds progress, you simply accumulate penalties. There is an excessive amount of punishment.”
Callum Smith reflects on his loss to Artur Beterbiev
During a highly anticipated confrontation that took place in Saudi Arabia yesterday night, Callum Smith and Artur Beterbiev engaged in combat. In spite of the fact that Smith was a +300 underdog, there were a lot of people who believed that he would be able to knock out his opponent. The duo contested for the WBC, IBF, and WBO belts of their respective organizations.
However, Beterbiev’s power and accuracy proved to be the deciding factor, as he was able to score a technical knockout victory in the seventh round.
The following is what Smith had to say about his feelings over the loss:
It is difficult for me to acknowledge that I am not the best because I have always felt that I am. On the contrary, the more capable individual emerged victorious tonight. During my rhythm, he was able to halt me dead in my tracks. He is skilled at just touching, touching before you gain any momentum… It is noticeable that his caressing is a little bit more forceful.
