Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is in awe of the power of Artur Beterbiev, saying he’s never seen anyone at 175 with his kind of “concussive power. With a 100% KO rating, fans are curious to see if Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) can maintain that perfection this Saturday night.
Beterbiev is like a walking guillotine, and it could be bad news for his hapless opponent, WBC mandatory Callum Smith, who will be on the receiving end of Beterbiev’s power this Saturday night when he challenges him for his three IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight titles at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
“The truth is, I have never seen a 175-lb fighter punch like Beterbiev. I’ve never seen that kind of concussive power,” said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to Boxing News, talking about the KO strength that his fighter IBF, WBA & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev possesses.
Many boxing fans aren’t giving the former WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith much of a chance of winning, even though he was briefly considered the top fighter in the 168-lb division in 2019 after winning a small tournament.
Smith’s popularity faltered after terribly poor performances against John Ryder and Canelo Alvarez, looking frightened and hesitant to stand up to the aggression from these two fighters.
Recently, Smith’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has resurrected his career, matching him against two lower-level opponents and responding, looking like his old self, albeit without fighting quality opposition.
Hearn likes Smith’s chances of pulling off the upset against Beterbiev on Saturday. Indeed, he’s visualized Callum’s method to victory, saying that he’ll land a left hook counter that will knock Beterbiev out cold.
What Hearn wants is for Smith to defeat Beterbiev so that he can match him against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol this summer in Saudi Arabia to pick up a large pot of gold.
