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Artur Beterbiev (19-0-0, 19 KOs) is one of boxing’s must-see attractions, a ring-stalking aggressor and arguably the hardest puncher in boxing today. He’s deceptively skilled, too, with a huge variety to his attacking arsenal. He displays an ability to switch up his game too, as in his last win, a year ago over Anthony Yarde where he responded to adversity by tricking Yarde into the corners.
The dream opponent for him is fellow light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, but in the absence of that, Callum Smith (29-1-0, 21 KOs) is a worthwhile replacement. Having previously campaigned at super-middleweight, he’s still huge (6 foot 3, and not skinny) at light-heavy, and although his career has had its downsides (a woeful performance against Canelo Alvarez and a dodgy scorecard win against John Ryder), he’s a generally solid technician. He also has one crucial weapon – a wonderful counter left hook that regularly puts aggressive fighters on the floor. He’s nowhere near favourite and shouldn’t be, but he has chances here.
It should be noted, just because it’s part of the story coming in, that Eddie Hearn has been raising ‘concerns’ over an ‘atypical’ finding in one of Beterbiev’s drug tests last year, but since he didn’t actually fail said test there’s not really much to be said about it at the moment.
The undercard is topped by the exciting super-middleweight Christian Mbilli, in against Rohan Murdock. The ESPN+ prelims feature another world title fight, as Jason Moloney defends his WBO bantamweight belt against Saul Sanchez, so make sure to tune in about an hour before the main card if you want to see that.
The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ starting at 10PM ET (3AM Sunday for Smith’s British fans), with a lengthy prelim card starting at 5:30PM (10:30 PM Saturday in Britain). You can expect the main event ringwalks around 11PM or 12AM ET, so keep an eye out here for updates on that time.
update: we’re running a little late with the start of the main card, because that’s moving to ESPN proper, where there’s still a college basketball game going on.
update: okay, the co-main is done. We’re gonna be a little bit past that 11pm start time for the main but I shouldn’t imagine we’ll be waiting too long.
final update: okay, ringwalks are starting. See you down below for the play-by-play
Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith: Play-by-Play
Round 1: Callum Smith has a huge size advantage here, but he’s not a fighter who typically fights at range. On the ropes right away, Beterbiev looking to maul from the off. After about half a minute Smith tries to establish some space in the middle of the ring, but dropes to the ropes again, circling on the outside. Looks like his plan is go to the center, circle and give hmiself space to drop off when Beterbiev looks to maul forward. After the initial fast start this has settled into a feeling-out round. Good bodyshot by Beterbiev, Smith responds upstairs. He’s having some success in the final minute, pushing Beterbiev back behind a jab, but a left-hand counter drops him back again and sees Beterbiev on the front foot at the end of the round. 10-9 Beterbiev.
Round 2: Smith stabbing the jab to the body, but then allows Beterbiev in with a right hand over the follow-up. More bodywork from Smith, which should be a priority for him to take some wind out of the 38-year old Beterbiev. The commentators are confused by Smith letting Beterbiev come in- he always does this. He’s a mid-range counterpuncher instinctively, always has been. His best moments in this fights are when he can get the jab working and force Beterbiev back. A closer round this, but the best shots still came from Beterbiev. 10-9 Beterbiev, 20-18.
Round 3: Smith got around Beterbiev’s guard with a decent left. But Beterbiev landing far more powershots to this moment. A jab stings Smith and he follows it with bodywork. Ref getting a bit too involved here, calls Smith low for a shot that didn’t seem it at all. Big right hand to the body sees Smith wince a bit. Beterbiev’s shot selection is superb. Jab is marking Smith’s face up. Smith trying to weave on the ropes, that’s a relatively new thing for him, since he joined with Buddy McGirt. An uppercut on the inside and then a right hand over the top has Smith hurt. Despite the size advantage, Beterbiev has the physical advantages and is manhandling him here. 10-9 Beterbiev, 30-27
Round 4: Smith starts trying to fight fire with fire, but he unravels quickly. We can’t say he’s not trying, as he was accused of after the Canelo fight, but he’s unravelling a bit already. The weaving on the ropes not an awful lot better for him than just tucking up. But he does land an uppercut as Beterbiev tries to push him back again. That makes Beterbiev a bit more cautious, but not so much so that he’s letting Smith off the hook. He is throwing combinations though, and he recovered quite well after a dodgy start to the round. 10-9 Beterbiev, 40-36
Round 5: For all his reputation as an offensive juggernaut, Beterbiev is a very smart fighter. He had Smith hurt pretty badly in the fourth, but he took a hard counter so he’s decided to box more cautiously. Which is still aggressive by anyone’s standards but he’s not taking unnecessary risks, and currently for the first half of round 5 he’s working on the outside and making Smith come to him. Smith still investing to the body, as McGirt instructed him. Smith has an argument for winning that round, just because Beterbiev took the pace off. 10-9 Smith, 49-46
Round 6: Beterbiev opens six with a big lead right and Smith drops to the corner. Out quickly but Beterbiev upping the pace again. Smith tries to land his left hook counter, but doesn’t get it home. Does get a bodyshot home. Some success pushing Beterbiev back this round. The final minute sees Beterbiev back on the front foot though, nice combination by Smith in there too but this is a Beterbiev round. 10-9 Beterbiev, 59-55
Round 7: Into the second half of the fight. Smith will be hoping the 38 year old fades, but there’s no sign of that. Hurt badly off a right hand and Beterbiev follows up, Smith down for the first time in his career! Beats the count but Beterbiev leapson him and he drops again! He beats the count but Buddy McGirt, Smith’s coach, gets in the ring and stops it!
Beterbiev’s power is really something. The thing is, he often doesn’t even look like he’s hitting all that hard, but every shot devastates opponents.
Artur Beterbiev beats Callum Smith, TKO-7
Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith: Full card results and highlights
IBF, WBC and WBO world titles: Artur Beterbiev TKO-7 Callum Smith
Super-middleweight: Christian Mbilli RTD-6 Rohan Murdock
- Mbilli (25-0-0, 21 KOs) broke out onto world level last year when he scored a surprise victory over Carlos Gongora in March, which he followed up with a KO of Demond Nicholson in September.
- Murdock (27-2-0, 19 KOs) lost his last attempt to break onto this sort of level, against Zach Parker in 2020. He’ll be hoping to upset the applecart here and get himself into contention at the top of the division.
- Mbilli opens the fight as expected, swarming Murdock from the off. He is hittable on the counter though- he doesn’t always protect his chin when after he throws. Murdock touched down in the first, but it was scored no-knockdown as the ref ruled the punch that did it was behind the head.
- The first four rounds show a similar pattern- Mbilli clearly dominating, but shipping the occasional shot. He did look a little slower in the fourth round, but that’s relative, and he knows how to go 12 hard rounds s it shouldn’t be a concern.
- A hellacious round 5 saw Murdock’s trainer tell him he’d stop him if he got hurt one more time in the 6th, but he responded well. But he took a big few shots at the end of the round and his coach calls it off between the rounds. Excellent stoppage from the corner.
WBO Bantamweight title: Jason Moloney W-MD Saul Sanchez 114-114 116-112, 116-112
- Moloney (26-2-0, 19 KOs) is defending the belt he won last year against Vincent Astrolabio. He’s declared that his mission is to win this and then fight Junto Nakatani, who scored the knockout of last year over his twin brother Andrew last year and is now moving up to this division.
- Sanchez (20-2-0, 12 KOs) is a lot less experienced at higher levels, with his two losses coming to lower-level opposition than Moloney’s (one of Moloney’s Ls is Nayoa Inoue).
- A busy start by Moloney, whose movement is just a little too sharp for Sanchez in the early going.
- Sanchez is here to fight, though, and is finding some success when Moloney settles in to staying on the back foot rather than buzzing in and out and pushing him back on occasion.
- This has developed into a tight back-and-forth fight, both fighters having moments where they push the other guy back and few dominant rounds for either. A good scrap this.
- Terrific in the end, both fighters giving it 100% from bell to bell. Both men absolutely knackered at the bell.
- Moloney scores the majority decision, 114-114 116-112, 116-112
- There’ll be some criticism of the 8-4 cards, which seems wide for a fight this tight, but at the end of the day there weren’t that many rounds which Sanchez definitely won. In any case, the result itself is fine.
Light-heavyweight: Imam Khataev vs Michal Ludwiczak
- The 29-year-old Khataev (5-0-0, 5 KOs) is making his way as a pro after an amateur career that ended in a bronze at the 2020 olympics. His opponent Ludwiczak was a very late replacement, and didn’t offer much resistance in a 2-round demolition.
Welterweight: Christopher Guerrero UD8 Sergio Garcia Herrera 79-73, 78-74, 78-74
Women’s super-featherweight: Leila Beaudoin UD Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza 78-74 78-74 77-75
- Revenge here for Beaudoin after Ezpinoza beat her in May last year.
Light-heavyweight: Mehmet Unal TKO-1 Dragan Lepei
Super-middleweight: Moreno Fendero vs Victor Hugo Flores
- Fendero making a busy start to his pro career, this being his fifth fight since turning pro in September. He has another scheduled in two weeks and one more in March, so he’ll be glad of the quick KO he got here.
Super-middleweight: Wilkens Mathieu UD-4 Jose Arias Alvarez 40-36, 40-35,40-35