Beterbiev and Smith Make Weight During A Tense Weigh-In

Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith had their weigh-in, making the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds.

The pressure is on Beterbiev, knowing he has an undisputed fight with Dmitry Bivol signed, provided he gets past Smith. Deontay Wilder came up short when he signed up to fight Anthony Joshua, only to lose to Joseph Parker. The fight never got made, something Beterbiev must avoid. The champ cannot be complacent since Smith is a former world champion, having won titles at 168. He held the WBA and Ring Magazine Super Middleweight belts.

Beterbiev has had to deal with scrutiny concerning his VADA tests, which showed ‘atypical findings’ for human growth hormone and 5D-androstanediol. Although further tests came back negative, it gave Smith another reason to get a win. A victory for Smith makes him a two-division champion. With only one loss to his name against Canelo Alvarez, the Brit will fancy his chances against the 38-year-old. He got into the Russian’s head as Beterbiev was forced to defend the VADA findings, maintaining that he was not a drug cheat.

“It has come to my attention that Callum intends to disseminate misleading information about my VADA testing program for this fight. Let me be clear now: I am a clean athlete. I have never tested positive for a banned substance throughout my amateur and professional career and I complied with all VADA requirements and protocols during the build-up to this fight. Any attempt to imply otherwise, through innuendo or suggestion is slanderous and libelous. This conduct is beyond acceptable trash talk in combat sports. Callum is already searching for excuses, looking for a way out. See you Saturday,” Beterbiev said.

Smith went on the scales first as he weighed 174.6 pounds. Beterbiev followed by weighing 175 pounds. There was a brief face off, but neither fighter uttered a word. Here are the full results below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3JeisQxON8

Results

Artur Beterbiev (175 pounds) vs. Callum Smith (174.6 pounds) - light heavyweight

Christian Mbilli (167.3 pounds) vs. Rohan Murdock (167.6 pounds) - super middleweight

Jason Moloney (117.5 pounds) vs. Saul Sanchez (117.8 pounds) - bantamweight

Imam Khataev (174.6 pounds) vs. Michal Ludwiczak (178.6 pounds) - light heavyweight