After three weeks of training in the Russian mountains, boxing champion Artur Beterbiev is back in Canada and ready for a fight that's been months in the making. Beterbiev gestures after defeating Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight boxing bout, in New York, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Beterbiev won in the second round. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Frank Franklin II
QUEBEC – After three weeks of training in the Russian mountains, boxing champion Artur Beterbiev is back in Canada and ready for a fight that’s been months in the making.
Beterbiev will look to defend his WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight championship belts Saturday when he faces Britain’s Callum Smith, the WBC’s No. 1 contender.
More than 10,000 tickets have been sold for the world championship bout, which will headline a boxing card at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City.
The fight was originally set to take place on Aug. 20, but was rescheduled as Beterbiev needed surgery after getting an infection in his jawbone.
Beterbiev’s manager Marc Ramsey says his client is showing no signs of being hampered by the setback.
“We’ve been able to train like we’ve always did before the surgery,” Ramsey said as the boxers met the media Thursday, a day before the official weigh-in. “I’ve pushed Artur to the maximum, and he responded well to that, so even though it’s not pleasant to cancel a fight after an intense training camp, it was the best decision in retrospect.”
Beterbiev showed he’s ready by returning to Russia for high-altitude training before landing in Quebec City this week.
“This is what I always do in preparation for my fights,” Beterbiev said.
Beterbiev, who was born in the mountainous Russian region of Dagestan and now lives in Montreal, has won all 19 of his professional fights by knockout. Smith, a former middleweight champion, has a record of 29-1 (21 KOs) and one loss in his professional career. His only defeat came at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in a super middleweight fight in December 2020.
The boxer from Liverpool has two victories since moving up a weight class.
Smith has been out of the ring even longer than Beterbiev with a 16-month hiatus. Like his opponent, he says he won’t show any rust in the ring.
Smith also doesn’t think Beterbiev’s 19 knockout wins in as many matches are a source of concern. In fact, the hard-hitting Englishman will himself be looking to end the fight by knockout.
While in great shape physically despite his layoff, Smith said the said the toughest part of his preparation during the layoff was the mental aspect.
“When the fight was not going to happen, you slow down for five, six months, but mentally, you still think about the fight”, Smith said. “I’ve been focused on the goal (the championship belts), since 2022, when I’ve became a serious challenger, and I want to become a two-class division world champion as well.
“I believe I have the style to beat him.”
The fight will be broadcast live on ESPN in the United States and is promoted jointly by Top Rank Boxing and Montreal’s Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM).
EOTTM promoter Camille Estephan says the fight will be the biggest in the provincial capital since Jean Pascal fought Bernard Hopkins back in December 2010.
Estephan, who started his company to help out a friend, said Saturday’s card will lead to more events in Quebec City.
“I’m looking towards holding two major events per year at the Centre Vidéotron,” he said. “This is a great venue and a wonderful opportunity for us to show the world that the boxers from the province of Quebec are worthy of being shown around the world.”
Eight other fights are on the card, including the WBO bantamweight world championship between Jason Moloney of Australia and Saul Sanchez of the United States.
Also on the card is Montreal’s Christian Mbilli, who will take on Rohan Murdock of Australia for the WBC Continental Americas and WBA International super middleweight championship.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2024.
