Via Sean Jones: Artur Betterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. agreed to a unification match in light heavyweight on June 18 in New York in a match that will be shown on ESPN.
Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. It will be an old fashioned duel between these two monstrous fighters, and it will be interesting to see which one of them turns out to be the winner.
With the Beterbiev-Smith Jr match taking place in New York, Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) will have a hometown advantage over IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs), as he’s from Long Island.
Beterbiev is considered the #1 boxer in the 175 lb category, but Smith, 32, has raised the bar for him and thinks he can beat him at this stage of his career.
Depending on how brave Canelo Alvarez is, we could see him win Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. in September or December, as long as the Mexican star wins the title on May 7 against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
In that case, Canelo will face Beterbiev for the undisputed 175 lb championship this year rather than delaying the bout until 2023 or 2024.
There are some who believe Canelo will wait until 2024 before battling Beterbiev for the undisputed championship spot as that would increase his chances of victory.
Beterbiev is now 37 years old and he is not exactly the fastest boxer in terms of hand speed. If Canelo waits until 2024 to fight Beterbiev, he will be 39 years old and potentially more vulnerable.
Beterbiev’s body punches and inner fighting will be a pure nightmare for Canelo and Joe Smith Jr, as both don’t like getting hit by bullets.
What could be the key factor for Beterbiev to beat Canelo and Smith is the fast pace he sets. He doesn’t allow his opponents to rest between attacks, and for Canelo, who is poorly motivated, he needs a lot of rest.
If Beterbiev doesn’t allow Canelo to rest to catch his breath, he’s likely to stop him, especially with punches to the body.
When Canelo was fighting Gennady Golovkin, he would look to the umpire for help and GGG would beat him up, as if he had been beaten. The shot isn’t low, and it clearly shows that Canelo doesn’t like body photography.
It won’t be a problem for Russian Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) to get into this match, as his promoter Bob Arum revealed this week that the two-time Olympic athlete arrives from Russia has lived in Canada for more than 10 years. As a result, Betterbiev will not be blocked from participating in the fight due to any potential ban.
“Source: Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr., have come to an agreement in principle for a light heavyweight unification match on June 18 in New York on ESPN. Three 175-pound belts on the line. Another title to be contested on May 7: Dmitry Bivol-Canelo Alvarez,” says Mike Coppinger.
The best victories of Betterbiev:
- Marcus Browne – KO 9
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk – TKO 10
- Callum Johnson – KO 4
- Radivoje Kalajdzic – KO 5
- Gabriel Campillo – KO4
- Tavoris Cloud – KO 2
When Beterbiev scores by knockout, he’s actually stopping his opponent rather than getting a TKO like most other boxers.
