Tony Bellew seems troubled by how Artur Beterbiev isn’t showing signs of age and effortlessly destroyed Callum Smith in seven rounds last Saturday night.
Bellew says IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is like “Peter Pan,” a Disney character who never ages.
Still discussing Beterbiev’s atypical test results from December 6th, Bellew sees suspicious of the unified champion. You can see that Bellew seems bothered about Beterbiev dominating at roughly the same age as him.
There’s nothing mysterious about why Beterbiev easily beat Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) last Saturday night in Quebec City, Canada. He got inside on Smith repeatedly and battered him until he hit the deck twice in the seventh.
Canelo Alvarez exposed the same flaws in Smith’s game by fighting him on the inside and winning a one-sided decision in 2020. Canelo wasn’t putting his punches together the way that Beterbiev did, so he couldn’t stop him.
Beterbiev Defying Age
“He’s Peter Pan. He’s getting younger from the look of it,” said Tony Bellew to talkSPORT Boxing about IBF, WBC, WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, who had an atypical test result last December. “His testosterone levels are showing that he’s the age of a 20-year-old man.”
Beterbiev had a great amateur background in Russia, competing in two Olympics and arguably beating 2012 gold medalist Oleksandr Usyk, but being on the receiving end of a controversial decision.
Beterbiev clearly deserved the victory, but Usyk was a popular fighter in the Olympics that year, the same as Anthony Joshua. Both of them won questionable golds.
“He’s defying age, and I’m not going to take away from his victory. I think he’s an amazing fighter. If you’re talking to be from a technical point of view, he’s formidable,” said Bellew continued about Beterbiev.
Browne Factor
“He’s an absolute force, but I can’t get away from the fact that he’s defying age. Marcus Browne gave him a harder fight than both of them [Anthony Yarde and Callum Johnson].
Browne gave Beterbiev a harder fight than Oleksandr Gvozdyk as well. Callum Smith would never beat the version of Marcus Browne that Beterbiev fought. Browne hasn’t fought since his knockout loss to Beterbiev in 2021, and it’s unclear if he’s retired.
“I had 34 [fights], but bear in mind, this guy [Beterbiev] was one of the best amateurs in the whole wide world. This guy was fighting the best from all around the world for an entire decade. Believe you me, he’s got miles on the clock.
“There’s a reason why his skin opens up every time he gets belted with a halfway decent left hook. He’s been on the floor from the likes of Callum Johnson. He’s been in tough rounds from the likes of Anthony Yarde, but none of them actually stood center-ring with him.
“Marcus Browne was outboxing him at times, but Marcus Browne is a different type of fighter. He’s a strong southpaw who moves well,” said Bellew. “Callum Smith tried to take that approach and tried to get his respect early doors. He just couldn’t put a dent in him.”
Smith couldn’t box Beterbiev the way that Browne did because he had no mobility and was not as athletic. Browne is very athletic and skillful. He landed heavy shots on Beterbiev right up until the end in the ninth round when he got dropped with an uppercut and was counted out.
“I’ve sparred Callum; I’ve known Callum since he was a baby. Callum can wack. He punches from head to body effortlessly, and he didn’t get a single reaction out of him,” said Bellew.
Smith is going to continue to have problems in his career because he’s not skillful enough to beat the top guys. We saw him struggle against John Ryder and Canelo before moving up to 175. Anthony Yarde, Joshua Buatsi, and Craig Richards all beat Smith. Callum return to 168 because he’s not cut out for the 175 lb division.
