Former super-middleweight world champion Callum Smith is looking to win a world title for a second time outside of the United Kingdom when he takes on light-heavyweight ruler Artur Beterbiev in Quebec on Saturday.
Smith (29-1, 21KOs) took part in the World Boxing Super Series with the hope of securing himself a world title, several significant paychecks with an end game of securing a major fight with the notable names operating in and around the 168lb division.
The Liverpudlian defeated domestic rival George Groves in the WBSS final in September 2018, stopping Groves, over seven rounds in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to claim the WBA world title and the Muhammad Ali trophy. Smith’s career then stuttered, with two title defenses against Hassan N’Dam alongside a narrow and controversial points win over John Ryder in 2019.
Ultimately, Smith landed the big fight everyone chased December 2020 against Canelo Alvarez.
It was not Smith’s best showing, with preparations affected due to the pandemic. Despite the mitigating circumstances, Smith was outclassed by Canelo, dropping the only loss of his career against the once-in-a-generation fighter who picked up a world title in his fourth weight class.
Paul Smith, elder brother of Callum and former British title holder, believes Callum can land a rematch with the multi-weight world champion Canelo, insisting it would be a natural avenue for his brother to explore in the future if he defeats Beterbiev this upcoming Saturday in Canada.
“Nothing is off the table for the future, so we won’t rule it out. if it made sense, then of course it’s possible”, Smith told Betway.
“Callum has a drive, ambition and desire to win all four belts, so if he did win on Saturday, it would be an obvious next step for him.”
Smith now hopes to add the unified WBC, WBO and IBF world light-heavyweight titles to his resume by defeating Artur Beterbiev in Quebec City. Despite Beterbiev’s age, at 38, he possesses one of the most daunting records in the sport with a perfect 19-fight record with 19 wins inside the distance.
