New January Date Confirmed For Light-Heavyweight World Title Match Between Artur Beterbiev And Callum Smith

The fight between Callum Smith and Artur Beterbiev was one of the most highly-anticipated ones this year, but it has been pushed back to 2024. Callum Smith is an extremely talented boxer, and he is the latest challenger to Beterbiev’s WBC, IBF and WBO titles. However, he will have to wait for his shot at glory against the three light-heavyweight champions.

A Beterbiev Injury Postponed the Fight

Callum Smith, nicknamed Mundo was set for the biggest challenge of his career when the original date for the fight against Beterbiev was scheduled for August 19. Notwithstanding, the fight had to be postponed as the champion required surgery following the bone infection in his jaw after some dental work.

The 38-year-old will now have to wait a bit longer for his title defence, with the 12-round unified world title fight now expected to take place on January 13 in Videotron Center, Quebec City, Canada.

What Has Been Said?

Understandably, the excitement around this fight is big – both among fans and punters! The odds and special offers for Beterbiev vs Smith are appealing to every bettor, so if you are looking for a place to wager on the event, these betting sites offer sign up bonuses, meaning that you either get an amount of free bets after you place a bet or you get your money back if your bet loses.

Bob Arum, the chairman of the promoter Top Rank was quick to announce his thrill that Beterbiev will finally have a chance to defend his title in front of the amazing support in Quebec City.

Even though the fight will take place a few months than what was originally planned, Artur will have a clean bill of health by January. Arum added that he is confident Callum – one of the best fighters in the world, will be at his absolute best on January 13, so there is plenty to look forward to!

Smith himself also fancies his chances and is evidently excited about the upcoming fight. In a recent interview with Boxing News, he acknowledged that Beterbiev has stunning records and achievements, which speak for themselves, but like everyone else – he is beatable.

He notes that he saw some weaknesses in Beterbiev’s style and he is confident he can hurt him. Smith is unfazed by the media portraying Beterbiev as sort of an invincible monster – he says that he might be a monster, but one that can suffer a defeat!

Smith adds that he has the belief he needs to win the fight as he has seen others hurt Beterbiev. He is confident in his own abilities and he looks forward to going there and “finishing the job”.

Regardless of the outcome of the fight, no one can argue against the confidence Callum Smith has, which surely adds a bit more fire to the fight in January!

Camile Estephan, who is the Eye of the Tiger president was also quick to publish a statement following the confirmation of the new date for the fight. He says that he is pleased that both fighters agreed on a new date so quickly, so now everyone can look forward to an amazing fight that is sure to heat up Quebec City in January!

Highly-Anticipated Fight

Just last August, in Saudi Arabia, Smith won a title eliminator against Mathieu Bauderlique by flooring and then levelling his opponent with an explosive left hook – all at 1-53 of the fourth round in the fight.

That victory sealed his shot at world champion Artur Beterbiev, who is unbeaten after 18 fights, and what is even more – he is the only world champion who has a 100% knockout ratio!

Smith, on the other hand, only lost to Canelo Alvarez in his professional career, which is a remarkable achievement. To be honest, Alvarez, dominated that fight – constantly hitting Smith with straight right hooks over 12 rounds, as two judges scored the bout 119-109, with the third one having 117-111.

After that loss, Smith won at light-heavyweight against Lenin Castillo and the already-mentioned Bauderlique, taking his record to 29-1.

All in all, you can see why everyone is highly anticipating this boxing match. It is unfortunate that we have to wait for a new date, but everything is in place for an incredible action, so tune in on January 13 on what promises to be the fight of a lifetime!