Notebook: Callum Smith: 'I'm here to do a job' against Beterbiev
De La Hoya lashes out at Mayweather; Fury-Usyk card shaping up; Valdez-Wilson on tap; Charr-Pulev signed; Foster-Nova undercard set; Quick hits; Show and tell
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The last time England’s Callum Smith hit the road things got ugly as Canelo Alvarez wiped him out in a one-sided decision to take his WBA super middleweight world title, and win the vacant WBC belt as well.
Not only did Smith lose badly, he didn’t even seriously compete, much less come remotely close to winning. That fight took place in December 2020 in San Antonio in front of a heavily Mexican and pro-Alvarez crowd. It was Smith’s only loss and the low point of his career.
Smith then moved up to light heavyweight, but has been woefully inactive since, fighting just once in 2021, once in 2022 and not at all in 2023.
Smith won both fights by stoppage against non-descript opposition, though securing a WBC mandatory title shot by winning an August 2022 eliminator via fourth-round knockout against Martin Bauderlique, unknown before the fight and without one since.
Now Smith is finally set to fight again in what would seem to be the most daunting test of his career other than Alvarez.
He will get a shot at three-belt and lineal light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and has traveled to frigid Quebec City, Canada, to contest the title on Beterbiev’s turf, where the popular Montreal-based Russian will fill the Videotron Centre with a partisan crowd for their showdown on Saturday in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET).
Smith, who will enter the bout for his third fight since hiring trainer Buddy McGirt, has never been a big talker — nor has Beterbiev — and that remained the case during the buildup to the bout.
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Smith (29-1, 21 KOs), 33, has been very matter-of-fact about his thoughts on facing Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), 38, who is boxing’s most fearsome puncher and the only current titleholder with a perfect knockout percentage.
“I’m here to do a job. I’m here to become a world champion again,” Smith said at Thursday’s news conference. “I’m here with my team and as long as I’m with them, I can be anywhere in the world and feel like home. I’m in a good place mentally and physically, and I’m ready to perform.”
Beterbiev has been a KO machine, who can hurt an opponent with either hand, though he has also been inactive with one fight in 2022 and his only 2023 fight taking place last January. The Smith fight initially scheduled for Aug. 19 but postponed because Beterbiev suffered a bone infection in his jaw as a byproduct of dental surgery.
“This will be exciting. He’s a very good fighter,” Smith said of his Beterbiev. “He’s a three-belt champion. So, his achievements speak for themselves. But, I believe in myself. I always have. I believe that the best version of me can beat anyone in the world. I fully stand by that.”
Smith believes he has improved over time, chalks the Alvarez loss up as an anomaly, and said he is better off not having to suffer to make 168 pounds any longer.
“I believe I’ve improved a lot over the last couple of years with Buddy McGirt and the time is now,” Smith said. “I’m ready to become a two-division world champion. I’m being presented with the opportunity, and it’s an opportunity I plan on taking.”
Smith had no problem going on the road to fight in front of a Beterbiev crowd.
“Regardless of whether the crowd is cheering for me or against me, I’m there to do a job,” said Smith, whose brother is middleweight contender and former junior middleweight titlist Liam Smith. “My focus is on my opponent. It’s nice to have people cheering for you. But if they’re not, I’m still there to do the same thing. (I’m) very confident. Provided the best version of me turns up I believe I beat anyone on the planet. I’ve backed that up a lot of times before. I obviously have the one slip in my career but I believe the best version of me knocks (Beterbiev) out.
“I’m probably better than that version (who faced Canelo). I can guarantee you that version of Callum Smith doesn’t turn up and hopefully we never see that version again. I’m a much better fighter now for different reasons and I believe you’ll see it.”
McGirt understands how difficult Beterbiev figures to be, but he said he has faith in Smith.
“(Smith is) very underrated. I think a lot of people underestimate him,” McGirt said. “He’s going to really showcase what he can do on Saturday night.
“You can’t go into the fight thinking about (Beterbiev’s) record. We know what’s in front of us. We’re not stupid. We know that it’s a tough test. We’re prepared for that. If you’re worried about that, you’re in the wrong business.”
Beterbiev, a two-time Olympian, will be making his eighth title defense since winning his first belt in 2017. He knows winning likely will propel him into a fight with WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed title later this year in Saudi Arabia.
Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), 33, of Russia, who defended his belt for the 11th time by dropping Lyndon Arthur in the 11th round en route to a 120-107 shutout decision on Dec. 23 on the “Day of Reckoning” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has already signed to fight Beterbiev, who must get through the Smith fight so Top Rank can work out his deal with the Saudis.
“I’m excited, just like I am for every fight,” Beterbiev said of facing Smith. “For this fight, we prepared like we usually do, which is at 100 percent. I’m focused on this fight. I’m happy that my supporters are coming to watch us, but I have things to do.”
In the co-feature, super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli (25-0, 21 KOs), 28, a Cameroon native, who lives in France and has been boxing regularly in Canada, will face Rohan Murdock (27-2, 19 KOs), 31, of Australia, in a 10-rounder.
In the final bout on the stream of preliminaries on ESPN+, which begin at 5:30 p.m. ET, Jason Moloney will make his first WBO bantamweight title defense against Saul Sanchez (20-2, 12 KOs), 26, of Los Angeles, who is taking a major step up in opposition. Moloney (26-2, 19 KOs), 32, of Australia, won the vacant 118-pound belt via majority decision over Vincent Astrolabio in May in his third shot at a world title.
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De La Hoya vs. Mayweather
Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, his onetime ring rival, have never liked each other and that continues in retirement, where both own promotional companies.
It seems as though De La Hoya is placing some of the blame for junior welterweight star Ryan Garcia’s decision to backtrack on his request to De La Hoya to pursue a spring fight for him against WBC titlist Devin Haney and instead ask him to get him a fight with WBA titlist Rolando Romero, who is with Mayweather Promotions.
The request came soon after Garcia was seen on a late-night run with Mayweather in Las Vegas.
“Pre-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Haney. Post-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Rolly,” De La Hoya wrote on social media. “Golden Boy has worked with Ryan Garcia since he turned pro and together have made him the biggest draw in boxing. We will make his fight with Rolly into a huge event as we always do.”
So, while De La Hoya will attempt to make the fight Garcia wants, he was clearly not pleased with Mayweather potentially getting in Garcia’s ear, which would be interference in their contract if he could prove it.
“Floyd, if you want to give Ryan the secret to defense in the ring, that’s great,” De La Hoya wrote. “Other than that, if you are still a promoter like it says here, fuck off.”
Fury-Usyk undercard
While the undercard for the undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17 (ESPN+ PPV) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has not been finalized, three bouts are ticketed for the show, sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite.
One is the quick return of lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs), 28, a southpaw from Australia, who will face an opponent to be determined in his third defense. Opetaia, who has a multi-fight deal to fight in Saudi Arabia, boxed there on the Dec. 23 “Day of Reckoning” card and drilled Ellis Zorro in the first round days after he was forced to vacate the IBF belt.
Opetaia is also due to spar with Fury, who is in training in Riyadh, where he will simulate Usyk, who is also a southpaw and about the same height as him.
The card will also feature the expected appearance of cruiserweight Sergey Kovalev, the former unified light heavyweight champion, who shares manager Egis Klimas with Usyk.
Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs), a Russia native fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is due to face Robin Safar (16-0, 12 KOs), 31, a Sweden native fighting out of Las Vegas, who will be taking on by far his most notable opponent in his first fight scheduled for more than eight rounds.
Since losing the WBO light heavyweight title to Canelo Alvarez by brutal 11th-round knockout in November 2019, Kovalev has boxed just once. That was a lopsided 10-round decision in his cruiserweight debut against Tervel Pulev, the brother of heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev, in May 2022.
Another fight being firmed up for the show is IBF junior lightweight titlist Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs), 32, of Wales, who would make the second defense of his second reign against southpaw Anthony Cacace (21-1, 7 KOs), 34, of Northern Ireland, who has won six fights in a row since a 12-round decision loss to Martin J. Ward in 2017.
Valdez-Wilson in works
Top Rank has contracts out to both camps as it is in the process of finalizing a junior lightweight fight between former titlist Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson, both of whom lost rousing battles in WBO title bouts to Emanuel Navarrete in 2023, sources with direct knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite, confirming an ESPN report.
Valdez-Wilson is due to headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on March 29 (a Friday) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, the sources said. That is the same venue where both men also faced Navarrete.
Mexico’s Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs), 33, also a former featherweight titleholder, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Navarrete in a title challenge in an all-action fight of the year candidate in August.
Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs), 27, of Australia, has won two fights in a row in his home country since he came in as a late replacement for injured Valdez last February. He gave Navarrete all he could handle, including knocking him down in the fourth round, in a ninth-round knockout loss in a fight of the year contender for the vacant 130-pound belt.
Charr vs. Pulev signed
WBA “regular” heavyweight titlist Mahmoud Charr and former two-time title challenger Kubrat Pulev have signed to fight in a bout likely to take place in March in Pulev’s home country of Bulgaria, sources with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite.
Charr’s team also considered England’s Derek Chisora, among others, as a possible opponent, one source said.
Charr previously was stripped of the belt but reinstated in September as part of a settlement of a lawsuit against the WBA.
Charr won the vacant “regular” title by decision against Alexander Ustinov in November 2017 and never defended. He was idle for 3½ years during which time was made “champion in recess” and eventually stripped of that status in December 2021 after a planned bout with interim titlist Trevor Bryan did not come off despite two purse bids and the fight being scheduled but canceled for various reasons related to Bryan promoter Don King, visa issues and the WBA.
As part of the settlement, the WBA announced that Charr had to face Jarrell Miller on or before Oct. 14, 2023. However, that fight did not come off when financing fell through and Miller eventually lost to Daniel Dubois on Dec. 23.
Charr (34-4, 20 KOs), 39, a Syria native fighting out of Germany, last boxed in December 2022 and knocked out journeyman Nuri Seferi in the second round in Hamburg, Germany.
Pulev (30-3, 14 KOs), 42, rebounded from a hard-fought split decision loss to Chisora in July 2022 to outpoint Andrzej Wawrzyk last month.
Cortes vs. Chevalier in co-feature
Junior lightweights Andres Cortes and Bryan Chevalier will square off in the 10-round co-feature of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Feb. 16 (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET) at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, Top Rank announced.
The tripleheader is headlined by the previously announced bout that will see O’Shaquie Foster fight for the first time since signing with Top Rank when he makes the second defense of the WBC junior lightweight title against Abraham Nova.
Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, scored his biggest win in his last fight, a seventh-round knockout of Xavier Martinez in July.
“This is a massive opportunity, and I will put the junior lightweight division on notice,” Cortes said. “I want a world title shot, but I must perform well against a tough opponent in Chevalier to make that goal a reality. 2024 is the year I bring a world title home to Las Vegas.”
Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KOs), 29, a 10-year pro, will fight outside of his native Puerto Rico for the second time.
In the opener, Brooklyn, New York, featherweight prospect Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs), 26, will face Bernard Torres (18-1, 8 KOs), 27, a southpaw from the Philippines, in a 10-rounder.
“I’ve graduated from prospect to contender, and this is the year everyone sees my full arsenal,” Carrington said.
Among the preliminaries on ESPN+:
Heavyweight Guido Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KOs), 29, a 2016 Italian Olympian, faces Moses Johnson (11-1-2, 8 KOs), 31, of Huntington, New York, in an eight-round heavyweight contest. Vianello is seeking a second win in a row since a cut-induced stoppage loss to Johnnie Rice last January.
Junior welterweight Tiger Johnson (11-0, 5 KOs), 25, a 2020 U.S. Olympian from Cleveland, meets Brazilian southpaw Paulo Galdino (13-7-2, 9 KOs), 31, in an eight-rounder.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked the three top fights on Top Rank’s ESPN card: unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev’s defense against Callum Smith; super middleweight Christian Mbilli versus Rohan Murdock; and Jason Moloney’s first WBO bantamweight title defense against Saul Sanchez. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Change of plans
An eye injury to welterweight Cyrus Pattinson has caused Matchroom Boxing to shuffle plans for its “NXT GEN” prospect card on Feb. 10 (DAZN).
The 10-round headliner was due to be Conah Walker going to Vertu Motors Arena in Pattinson’s hometown of Newcastle, England, for an immediate rematch of their all-action thriller in August, when Walker dropped Pattinson three times in an eighth-round upset knockout win in Birmingham, England.
However, Pattinson recently posted to social media about his injury.
“2 weeks before Christmas I left a sparring session with double vision,” Pattinson wrote. “Results from a CT (scan) showed a bleed from a trauma behind my right eye. 5 weeks of wearing a patch, being unable to train and no signs of improvement I’ve been withdrawn from my upcoming fight.”
Matchroom Boxing has shifted the card to the Indigo at The O2 in London, where British junior lightweight champion Liam Dillon (13-0-1, 3 KOs), 28, and Commonwealth champion Reece Bellotti (17-5, 14 KOs), 33, will meet to unify their titles in the new main event.
“Always stay ready,” Bellotti said. “A brilliant opportunity has come up for me to win a title that I’ve dreamed of winning since I was a kid and I can’t wait.”
Said Dillon: “Reece’s Commonwealth title is also on the line so that’s another big motivation for me. 2024 is going to be a big year for my career. My British title isn’t going anywhere.”
In the co-feature, Shannon Ryan (6-0, 0 KOs), 27, and Emma Dolan (6-0, 1 KO), 25, will meet for the vacant British and Dolan’s Commonwealth women’s junior bantamweight titles. They will make history by becoming the first women to contest the British junior bantamweight title.
Quick hits
Weights from Quebec City, Canada, for the Top Rank/EOTT on Saturday (ESPN): Artur Beterbiev 175 pounds, Callum Smith 174.6 (for Beterbiev’s WBC/WBO/IBF light heavyweight title); Christian Mbilli 167.3, Rohan Murdock 167.6; Jason Moloney 117.5, Saul Sanchez 117.8 (for Moloney’s WBO bantamweight title); Imam Khataev 174.6, Michal Ludwiczak 178.6; Elizabeth Espinoza 128.6, Leila Beaudoin 129.2 (rematch); Wilkens Mathieu 168.8, Jose Arias Alvarez 167.7; Mehmet Unal 177.8, Dragan Lepei 177.7; Christopher Guerrero 149.5, Sergio Herrera 149.6; Moreno Fendero 162.8, Victor Hugo Flores 162.3.
Agon Sports on Thursday won the promotional rights to the vacant IBF junior middleweight title fight between Bakhram Murtazaliev (21-0, 15 KOs), 30, of Russia, and Jack Culcay (33-4, 14 KOs), 38, of Germany. Agon Sports, Culcay’s promoter, bid $666,300 to beat the only other offer, which was $500,000 from TGB Promotions. The fighters will split the winning bid 50-50 ($333,150 apiece). Executed contracts must be submitted to the IBF by Jan. 26 and the fight must take place by April 10 (90 days from the bid). The fight likely will take place in March in Germany. Jermell Charlo vacated the title hours before a Nov. 21 purse bid rather than fulfill a long-standing mandatory obligation to Murtazaliev, who took multiple step-aside deals to allow Charlo to engage in other bouts. With the belt vacant, Murtazaliev was ordered to face Culcay.
An IBF purse bid for a junior welterweight final eliminator between Richardson Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs), 26, of New York, and British southpaw Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs), 31, a former world title challenger, has been postponed for a second time. It was initially slated for Jan. 4 and postponed until Jan. 11. But with Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of both fighters, unable to close deals with either side, it was granted another delay on Wednesday with the new date set for Jan. 18. If the fight takes place the winner will become the mandatory challenger for titlist Subriel Matias.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (53-6-1, 34 KOs), 37, of Mexico, who has not boxed since a December 2021 win, has had various out of the ring issues, including with drugs, and now has another. The former WBC middleweight titlist was arrested for illegal possession of an assault rifle last weekend in Los Angeles, spent several days in jail, and has been released to enter a treatment program while facing charges in the incident. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., his legendary father, issued a statement on the situation: “Thank you for being on the lookout and worrying about my son Julio. Unfortunately, I confirm the news. My son was arrested and we are working together with his lawyers to resolve his legal situation. It’s been a long road, but I don’t lose faith. I pray to God that this is the moment that finally propels my son towards a useful and happy life.”
Cris Cyborg, 38, of Brazil, the decorated MMA star, will have her second professional boxing match on Jan. 18 (streaming on Spectation Sports) at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, World Fighting Championships announced. Cyborg (1-0, 0 KOs) will face San Mateo, California, native Kelsey Wickstrum (2-0, 1 KO), 36, in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Cyborg made her boxing debut with a four-round decision over Gabrielle Holloway in December 2022 on the Terence Crawford-David Avanesyan undercard in Omaha, Nebraska.
Show and tell
In the early 2000s, junior lightweight was a red-hot division with star power. Floyd Mayweather held the WBC title and the late Diego “Chico” Corrales held the IBF belt but gave it up to help facilitate a big-time fight between the undefeated fighters on HBO. Over on rival Showtime, WBA titlist Joel Casamayor and WBO counterpart Acelino “Popo” Freitas were under contract, undefeated and on a collision course.
When they finally met to unify their 130-pound titles, it was an excellent and highly competitive fight at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. Freitas, my all-time favorite fighter not named Arturo Gatti, dropped Casamayor in the third round. They both suffered cuts and Casamayor also had a point taken away in the sixth round for hitting on the break. In the end, Freitas scored the biggest victory of his career, 114-112 on all three scorecards, before moving to lightweight and winning another world title two years later. Freitas and Casamayor squared off to unify titles on Jan. 12, 2002 — 22 years ago on Friday. Here is a scarce program (a digest size four-pager on nice card stock) with a picture of the cover and the interior in my collection. The free drink voucher has long expired. LOL.
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Photos: Beterbiev-Smith, Valdez and Moloney-Sanchez: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; De La Hoya-Mayweather: Ed Mulholland/HBO; Opetaia: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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