Artur Beterbiev has his next fight date set for Saturday, August 19 at Videotron Centre in Québec City, Canada where he faces Callum Smith. The contest features the undefeated unified WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion up against WBC No. 1 contender and former super middleweight champion. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 12 rounds world championship bout live on ESPN.
Three-belt champion Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) was in action in January in London, where he stopped Anthony Yarde in the eighth round and made the first successful defense of his crown. In June 2022 in New York, the 38-year-old won the championship unification via second-round TKO of Joe Smith Jr, retained the WBC and IBF belts and claimed the WBO title.
Montreal-based knockout artist last fought in Canada in December 2021, when he KO’d Marcus Browne in the ninth round in front of his hometown crowd. His most recent outing in Québec City goes back to April 2015, when he KO’d Gabriel Campillo in Round 4.
“Québec is my second home, so I’m very happy to finally defend my titles on home turf,” Beterbiev said. “When you are world champion, everyone wants the opportunity to take your belt, and that’s especially true in my case, with three titles at stake. I’ve already started my training camp, and I’ll be ready to not only defend my belts, but to also put on an impressive show August 19.”
Former WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) was in action in August 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he KO’d Mathieu Bauderlique in the fourth round and secured his second win in a row. In September 2021 in London, the 33-year-old stopped Lenin Castillo in Round 2. Late 2020, the native of Liverpool, England suffered his first career defeat and lost the title, when he dropped a unanimous decision against Canelo Alvarez in their championship unification in San Antonio, Texas.
“I’m excited to finally get my opportunity to become a two-weight world champion,” Smith said. “I’m no stranger to fighting on away soil, having boxed in Saudi Arabia twice, across America, and now heading to Canada on August 19. There was no hesitation from me going to Canada to fight Artur Beterbiev, and I will be returning to Liverpool as a world champion once more.”
The list of fighters featured Beterbiev vs Smith undercard includes Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 KOs), Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs), Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 KOs), Leila Beaudoin (9-1, 1 KO), Clovis Drolet (13-1, 9 KOs), among others.
Tickets for the event can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
In Australia, Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith airs live on Sunday, August 20.
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