“Mundo” challenges “KO King” in Canada
By James Blears
10 out of 10 for valiant and talented scouser Callum Smith for taking on the challenge of undefeated “KO King” Artur Beterbiev for the Unified Light Heavyweight Crown at the Videotron Center in Quebec on January 13th.
Will he buck the trend unlike anyone else to date, endeavor plus endure for 12 out of 12 inevitably torrid rounds, or achieve even better?
This is the question on the chapped, pursed lips and sizzling keyboards of boxing scribes and of course the uppermost on the minds of the fans, who are hankering after an all-out ring war. Might they witness a wind of change, or perhaps be testament to yet another opponent blown away in gale force style?
Callum, who has only tasted defeat once at the hands of pound-for-pound superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, valiantly going the whole distance, in spite of excruciatingly suffering a detached left bicep, must strive to overcome this looming question mark against the mighty 38-year-old “King” Artur. Some say ageing boxers can grow old overnight. Advancing age waits for no man, coupled with an enforced layoff due to jaw surgery.
What is Callum facing? A boxer who prevails with a singular focused mindset, overcoming opponents come what may, with an all pervasive, bludgeoning lambasting style, which physically wears them down, breaks them up, pummeling them, bending and doubling them with his granite fists reinforced by his corrugated iron willpower. Up to now it’s been irresistible and numbingly effective.
Artur Asilbekovich Beterbien, of Chechen descent who was born in Khasayurt, Dagestan, resides in Quebec, Canada and is a Canadian citizen, won the IBF title in 2017, became WBC champion in 2019 and added the WBO in 2022.
Powerful and durable, Artur likes to get in real close working the body like minced beef, then landing clubbing shots to the head. He has fast, strong hands, following up time and again, but in so doing he can be exposed and he’s been knocked down twice. In a brawl with Jeff Page at the outset of his career, he was decked in round one by a clipping and precise right hand, more knocking him off balance than doing any damage. But the rampage which then ensued, came from Artur in round two, when he returned the favour thrice to win in dramatic style.
When he fought Briton Callum Johnson, Artur dropped him with a right cross in round one. But then he himself walked into a peach of a left hook in round two and went down heavily, beating the count and being hurt to the extent that the Referee asked him if he wanted to continue. That he did, and two rounds later he closed the show with his vaunted right. He can be vulnerable, and he can be tagged, but he’s at his most dangerous when this occurs. Whenever Anthony Yarde, another British opponent, landed heavily on him during their January 2023 fight in London, he recognised the big blow, got on his bike and backpedalled until he regained his sense and the fog cleared, then he would get straight back on the attack again. It appears there’s a very short window where he is hurt when opponents have an opportunity to capitalise.
One of his most spectacular fights was winning the WBC title in an undiluted slugfest with then undefeated Oleksandr Gvozkyk. In the first few rounds, Artur was getting hit hard and often, but the course of the fight radically changed when he knocked down the Ukrainian with a searing lance of a left hook in the sixth. By the ninth his unrelenting body attacks had taken its toll and he was totally dominating. Then in the 10th, three knockdowns occured with the Referee stopping the fight to save the battered Oleksandr.
A cut, particularly a bad one, often gives a boxer pause for thought and sobering reflection, resorting and opting to box, in order to protect the injury. Not so after a clash of heads with southpaw Marcus Browne in a WBC mandatory defence, which left the Great one with a grated forehead resembling a gaping letter box, seeping blood everywhere. He dropped Marcus in the seventh and the ninth, beating the remaining resistance out of his brave but by now utterly exhausted opponent.
A stern test against hard hitting Anthony Yarde, who put up a spirited resistance only to be dropped in the eighth and in that same round Anthony’s corner rightfully decided he’d taken enough damage intervened to halt the onslaught. Of late, it’s taking Artur longer to apply the finishing touches to his handiwork.
Ferocious Edwin “El inca Dinamita” Valero, another master blaster, stopped 18 opponents in the first round and all of his 27 fights ended in KO victory. Edwin’s prestigious southpaw power was fuelled and stoked by inner demons which led to the death of his Wife Jennifer Vierafinol and his suicide, following his arrest.
Artur’s style is more akin to that of Rocky Marciano. Rocky was dropped by Jersey Joe Walcott via a left hook in round one of his title successful challenge, but went on stop him with the most spectacular one punch KO ever seen in a world heavyweight title fight during round thirteen. That massive right!
In his last bout, wily “Old Mongoose” Archie Moore decked Rocky in round two with a perfectly timed right counter. But Rocky got up and proceeded to maul Archie to defeat in round nine. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Archie was counted out. On the way, Rocky dropped him twice in the sixth and once in the eighth.
Small for a heavyweight, standing just 5’ 10”, with only a sixty seven inches67” reach, weighing 184lbs, Marciano made up for the physical deficits with supreme conditioning. He ran many miles in army boots, clobbered a specially made 250lbs heavy bag leaving it with grapefruit deep indents and he monastically isolated himself during training camp.
For this fight here and now against Artur, Callum, who 6’ 3” tall and has a 78” reach, must use this to intelligent effect against the smaller Artur, who only has a 73” reach. Artur is most effectively devastating at toe to toe range, so Callum must judge it in terms of long distance, avoiding that crunching body attack from Artur who has the appearance of an Old Testament Prophet, although he wouldn’t thank me for this observation because he’s a devout Muslim.
Callum was European super middleweight champion during 2015-2018 and WBA champion 2018-2020, winning the World Boxing Super Series in 2018 and with it the Muhammad Ali Trophy. In that bout, he successfully defended the WBC Diamond Belt and won the WBA bauble by overwhelming fellow Brit George Groves in the seventh. Saint George was unable to beat the count, after being hit with body shots, an uppercut and a cascade of follow up punches. Then, Callum had to work hard to defeat John Ryder with a close, arguably controversial unanimous decision. It was all success before encountering Canelo.
After being outpointed by the Mexican superstar, Callum moved up to light-heavyweight with a second round KO of Lenin Castillo, who was caught with a terrific right to the head and had to be stretchered out of the ring. Then Mathieu Bauderlique came next, who he KO’d in the fourth with a poleaxing left hook. Callum has brought his power up a division. He’s dangerous with either hand.
Callum’s career credentials means that he could be a difficult and awkward opponent with proven power. Aged 33, Callum is five years younger, but has fought more often with a pro record of 30-1, 21 KO’s. He’s opponent number 20 for Artur.
Challenger Callum is fighting in Artur’s adopted homeland, but is sure to bring some very vocal support from the famed city of Liverpool, the roosting place of the Liver Bird and home to The Beatles. Most likely than not, his fans will be singing the Gerry and Pacemakers song: “You’ll never walk alone,” which resounds weekly around Anfield, the home ground of Liverpool FC.
But inside the ring is a lonely place.
Tale of the Tape
Artur Beterbiev
Unified light-heavyweight world champion
Age: 38
DOB: January 21, 1985
From: Montréal, Québec, Canada
Record: 19-0, 19 KOs
Total rounds: 83
World title fights: 8-0, 8 KOs
Height: 5’11.5” – 182cm
Reach: 73” – 185cm
Stance: Orthodox
Manager: Self-managed
Trainer: Marc Ramsay
Callum Smith
WBC #1 Light-heavyweight
Age: 33
DOB: April 23, 1990
From: Liverpool, England
Record: 29-1, 21 KOs
Total rounds: 152
World title fights: 3-1, 2 KOs
Height: 6’3” – 191cm
Reach: 78” – 198cm
Stance: Orthodox
Manager: Self-managed
Trainer: Buddy McGirt
WBC Top 10 Light-heavyweight Champions
1. Roy Jones Jr. (US)
2. Bernard Hopkins (US)
3. Bob Foster (US)
4. Michael Spinks (US)
5. Adonis Stevenson (Haiti/Canada)
6. Mike McCallum (Jamaica)
7. Jose Torres (Puerto Rico)
8. Dick Tiger (Nigeria)
9. Matthew Saad Muhammad (US)
10. Chad Dawson (US)
WBC Light-heavyweight History:
32 light heavyweight world champions have been recognised by the WBC, of whom only five have regained the title: Dennis Andries (GB) two times, Jeff Harding (Australia), Roy Jones Jr. (US) two times, Antonio Tarver (US), and Chad Dawson (US) two times.
122 light heavyweight world championship fights have been held in WBC history.
Bob Foster (US) holds the record for light heavyweight world title defenses with 14.