'Callum Smith knocked out Beterbiev' in round 6, says Tony Bellew

To Barry Holbrook: Tony Bellew surprisingly jumped off Arthur Beterbiev’s ship after a win over compatriot Anthony Yard on Saturday night.

Callum has looked good since rising to 175 in 2021, but he hasn’t fought the type of foe necessary to tell us how well he can do against monster punchers like Beterbiev.

Beterbiev ‘easy to hit’

If Callum fights with his back to the ropes against Beterbiev for 12 rounds, as he did in his one-sided loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2020, he won’t last long.

Unlike Canelo, Beterbiev has the power to stop Smith like a stork when he goes into sparring partner mode, as he did against the Mexican star and John Ryder. Those fights show Smith doesn’t respond well to pressure and he doesn’t have an inside game to speak of.

Bellew believes Beterbiev’s fighting style is tailored to the 6’2-inch Callum. “Easy to hit.”

Style breeds fights and people are going to shoot me down here but I’ll say it anyway! Callum Smith knocks out Beterbiev within 6 rounds! He’s too open and too easy to hit! said he was vulnerable, which will show up when he fights Callum. #BeterbievSmith

— Tony Bellew (@TonyBelew) January 28, 2023

“In my honest opinion, he was made for Callum Smith. Callum’s catch-and-counter style does Beterbiev quick likewise.Time will tell,” Bellew said. twitter.

Callum not tested at 175

Unfortunately, Callum hasn’t been as active since his crushing loss to Canelo Alvarez three years ago in 2020.

Since that loss, Callum has fought only twice, defeating two low-level fighters, Mathieu Boderric and Lenin Castillo. They were fodder-level opponents, and it was impossible to tell if Callum had improved as a fighter and had the ability to compete with the best in 175.

Based on Callum’s résumé, he can beat lackluster opponents like Baudelric, Rivera and Rocky Fielding, but the wheels come off against good opponents like Canelo and John Ryder. I know that.

Many boxing fans believe the 12-round unanimous decision victory over Ryder in November 2019 was controversial and took place in his hometown of Liverpool, leaving Callum’s resume with two losses. is necessary.

Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) beat Callum (29-1) in the summer despite saying he wants the next undisputed championship with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. , 21 KO).

Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) is said to have fought in April and will face Canelo Alvarez in a rematch in September for the 168-pound undisputed championship. In that case, Beterbiev would have to meet the WBC’s mandate by defending against Callum his Smith.

Beterbiev stopped Yarde’s bout (23-3, 22 KOs) in the eighth round in front of a screaming crowd of Yarde supporters at London’s OVO Arena.

Although he had chances in the yards, he was injured when Beterbiev turned the heat up on him in the seventh round and fell prey to an easy knockout in the eighth round.

The fight was competitive in the first six rounds, leaving the question of who would win the seventh. However, hurting yards in that round, he appeared to be shaking at the bell.

In the eighth, Beterbiev quickly chased Yards with huge shots, dropping him and unloading him with a few selection shots, causing Yards coach Tunde Adjaye to stop the fight.

Artur’s better option

US boxing fans would love to see Beterbiev fight a better opponent than Callum Smith. American fans mostly know Callum for his terrifying performance against Canelo, and the image of him pounding 12 rounds against the ropes is still firmly imprinted on people’s minds.

If Beterbiev has no choice due to Callum being a WBC mandate, fans will have to deal with this poor fight. would prefer to fight against opponents of: