Photo: Vincent Ethier – According to some, Artur Beterbiev, pictured here at the final press conference, could face the biggest challenge of his career tonight.
TODAY, ARTUR BETERBIEV AND CALLUM SMITH WILL FINALLY FACE OFF IN A UNIFIED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT. JUST HOURS BEFORE THE BIG NIGHT OF JANUARY 13, PUNCHING GRACE WENT OUT AND GATHERED THE PREDICTIONS OF 13 INDUSTRY INSIDERS.
ANSON WAINWRIGHT: RING MAGAZINE
“Beterbiev is a monster at light heavyweight, and Smith has looked like a force of nature since moving up. For me, this is a 50/50 fight, and you could easily argue for either man. Is Beterbiev showing signs of wear? Will Smith be rusty? I hope for a Beterbiev win, not against Smith, but because it seems like Beterbiev is on track to face Bivol, a fight I’ve wanted to see for a long time. However, I don’t think we’ll see it; I have a feeling Smith will upset Beterbiev and position himself to face Bivol. Both Beterbiev and Smith have heavy hands. But I think Smith is better than Anthony Yarde, who gave Beterbiev a tough fight. Since then, Beterbiev suffered a jaw injury that required surgery. Smith won’t start slowly, preventing Beterbiev from setting his pace early. I think Smith will eventually catch and hurt him, maybe even drop the champion sooner rather than later. This will give him confidence, and he’ll increase the pace, forcing the referee to step in by the seventh round.”
SMITH IN 7 ROUNDS.
RÉJEAN TREMBLAY: BPM SPORTS
“I think it will be much more difficult than people think [for Artur]. He’s 39 years old, and you never know when age can start to hit, citing the sad example of Adonis Stevenson. Beterbiev is exceptional, and I think he will win, but it won’t be easy.”
BETERBIEV IN 10-11 ROUNDS.
FRÉDÉRIC DAIGLE: LA PRESSE CANADIENNE
“The Smith camp is very confident of winning, even predicting a knockout over Beterbiev. I find these predictions overly optimistic, to put it politely. Yes, Smith fought Canelo Alvarez, but at 168 pounds. At 175, his opponents were not at all of Beterbiev’s caliber. Even though Beterbiev is almost 39 years old, I don’t see any signs of slowing down. He was behind on the judges’ scorecards against Yarde? So what! He knocked him out when it mattered. I think Smith will meet the same fate. Eddie Hearn doesn’t see this fight going past 8 or 9 rounds: he’s right.”
BETERBIEV IN 7 ROUNDS.
MARCOS VILLEGAS: FIGHT HUB TV
“I expect Beterbiev to apply pressure from the first round and assert himself early both physically and mentally against Callum Smith. Smith will need to keep a tight guard and be careful not to stay on the ropes too long like he did against Canelo to avoid Beterbiev’s powerful shots. Although this puts Smith in a good position to counter, it also leaves him vulnerable throughout the fight, where he will have to balance between movement and clinching to disrupt the champion’s rhythm. However, if a smaller Canelo could push forward against Smith at 168 pounds, I see Beterbiev finding his way into the fight.”
BETERBIEV WINNER.
DAVE LÉVESQUE: JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
“Beterbiev has knocked out each of his 19 opponents since turning pro. Callum Smith has never been knocked out; he can even boast that his only loss was a decision against Canelo Alvarez. It’s a tall order for Beterbiev, who should still come out on top with effort.”
BETERBIEV WINNER.
AMÍLCAR BARNETT: MAESTRO A
“Though mainly known for his punching power and perfect knockout record, Beterbiev is also one of the most skilled boxers in the sport. His greatest attribute might be his footwork, which he uses to apply pressure and launch devastating counterattacks. I believe Smith is not just a world-class fighter but the best British light heavyweight. Smith seems even stronger at 175 than he was at 168, and he will show that on Saturday. However, I expect Beterbiev to use his boxing IQ, skills, and experience to systematically break down Smith.”
BETERBIEV IN 11-12 ROUNDS.
COLE WHISTON: BOXING WORLD WEEKLY
“It seems a bit disrespectful to the unified light heavyweight champion to assume that a guy who spent his career at 168 pounds will either be the first to go the full 36 minutes with the champion or have enough power to finish him. Especially when Smith hasn’t been in the ring since 2022. Beterbiev should finish him in the second half of the fight, but don’t be surprised if Smith can’t handle the power early.”
BETERBIEV WINNER.
LAURENT POULIN: BOXINGTOWN QUÉBEC
“Callum Smith will win 3 of the first 5 rounds. Artur Beterbiev will calculate the angles, Smith’s movements, feel the ring, and where the four corners are. Then, starting from the 5th round, he will trap his prey like Canelo did, but Artur finishes the show when he sees fear in an opponent’s eyes.”
BETERBIEV IN 10 ROUNDS.
MANNY MONTREAL: TALKING BOXING
“I predict a demolition and a crowd full of worried and terrified faces. Watching Beterbiev fight makes you feel sympathy for his opponents. He will relentlessly apply menacing pressure and continually land hard, crisp, and painful shots. Arthur will break the man who went 12 rounds with Canelo.”
BETERBIEV under 10 ROUNDS.
WILLIAM DUMOULIN: BOXING NEWS QC
“I believe Smith will win the early rounds with a good jab, but as the fight progresses, Beterbiev will take control.”
BETERBIEV IN 11 ROUNDS.
ANTHONY MARCOTTE: BPM SPORTS
“Expect fireworks in this fight, and it’s hard to believe it will go the distance. I’m a bit concerned about Beterbiev’s inactivity, but it’s the same for his opponent. I don’t think Beterbiev shows signs of slowing down despite his age. He will be stronger and bigger than Smith in the ring. The Englishman doesn’t know what’s coming.”
BETERBIEV BY KO IN 5 ROUNDS.
MATT CASAVANT: PUNCHING GRACE
“There’s a reason everyone is excited about this fight. Callum Smith has a lot of punching power and is very good technically. That said, when you look at Artur Beterbiev’s career: sometimes the early rounds can be a bit more complicated, but the further the fight goes, the more confident he gets. He wins a lot of fights by referee stoppage in the second half of the fight, which means his power isn’t just in the first three rounds: you have to be careful throughout the fight. On Smith’s side, we know that defensively, he has gaps. In short, I think it will be an exciting fight, but Beterbiev will win later in the fight.”
BETERBIEV IN 8-9 ROUNDS.
NOÉ CLOUTIER: PUNCHING GRACE
“As Marc Ramsay mentioned, Callum Smith is one of the few boxers without major weaknesses. He is complete, has a good jab, nice boxing skills, hits hard, and always seems to be two heads taller than his opponents. Yes, he was dominated by Canelo, but Canelo was on another level at that time. Smith, meanwhile, had a terrible weight cut and suffered a terrible injury early in the fight. But that’s in the past, as he’s a new man at 175 pounds. I’d be bold in saying that the winner of this fight, whoever it is, will beat Bivol. However, I get chills just thinking about Anson Wainwright’s prediction. So, I don’t want to think about it anymore; King Arthur will prevail later than ever before, will even visit the canvas in the 4th round, but with less than a minute left, Michael Griffin will have no choice but to come to the Brit’s rescue.” An epic fight and a magical night, isn’t that what we all wish for?
BETERBIEV BY KO IN 12 ROUNDS.
