Light heavyweight Callum Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) shook off the ring rust, obliterating the heavy-handed Carlos Galvan (20-5-2, 19 KOs), stopping him in the fifth round with an emphatic victory on Saturday night at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Returning from an 11-month layoff, the former WBA super middleweight champion Smith dropped Galvan, 33, three times in the fight. Smith knocked Galvan down with an explosive left hook to the head in round four.
The punch was thrown at close range but had a lot of power on it. Galvan immediately took a knee after being nailed. An energized Galvan got back to his feet and finished the round strong, landing some hard punches to Smith’s head that put him on his back foot, making him think twice about trying to finish the job.
In the fifth, Smith caught Galvan with a left to the body that sent him down on one knee. Galvan got back up and tried to use movement to survive, but Smith caught up to him and dropped him a second time in the round with another left to the body. The referee then waved it off. The time was at 1:19.
Smith Ready For Big Fights In 2025
“Yeah, the whole basis for this fight was to get the ring rust off and get ready for 2025 so I can go into any big fight that’s out there,” said Callum Smith to Pro Boxing Fans. “The [Joshua] Buatsi one is getting mentioned. So, I’m here for that fight. I think it’s a great fight.
“A fight that interests me. He’s an interim [WBO light heavyweight] world champion. As we seen tonight, he’s got something I like. It definitely makes sense for me. I’ll sit down with my team and decide my next step for 2025. I had my warm-up fight, so I’m ready for anyone in the division.