Callum Smith feels his form of fighting will give Artur Beterbiev fits when they meet next year.
Liverpool, England’s Smith is scheduled to take on unified WBC, WBO, IBF 175-pound champion Beterbiev on Jan. 13 at Centre Videotron in Quebec City.
A former titlist at 168, Smith has won two fights in a row as a light heavyweight ever since he dropped a decision to Canelo Alvarez in a super middleweight unification bout in 2020 at Alamodome in San Antonino. Smith has been plagued by inactivity for the past several years; his last fight was a fourth-round stoppage of Mathieu Bauderlique in August of last year, and he will not see any action in 2023.
In a recent interview, Smith, known for his length, power, and counterpunching ability, believes he has the right style to spring up an upset over Beterbiev, a Russian native who resides in Quebec.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for nearly two years now,” Smith said of his upcoming fight in a video published on the YouTube channel of Matchroom Boxing. “I just want to get in the ring with him and I know it’s a fight. A fighter that I respect, that I rate, his achievements.
“But I’ve always watched him and felt I had the style to beat him. I like my chances in this fight. Now that it’s getting closer and the more and more I perform in the gym I definitely [feel] more and comfortable to go over there and take his belts off him.”
The two were originally supposed to fight in August, but the fight had to be pushed back after Berterbiev, 38, suffered complications from dental surgery.
The 33-year-old Smith (29-1, 21 KOs), who is trained by California-based veteran Buddy McGirt, admitted that it has not been easy adjusting to the postponement of the original fight date with Beterbiev.
“Mentally, it’s a little bit tougher,” Smith said. “I’ve had Beterbiev on the brain for a long time. I’m more focused on what I get when I win and that’s the three world titles. I’m willing to do it. I’m fully focused on Artur Beterbiev.
“I’ve seen enough of him over the years to know what needs to be done and Buddy has watched him and has a good game plan this time around to get it done.”
By Sean Nam