Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith | Sky Sports - 13 January 2024

[omalley]

Yarde is much fresher than Smith...

What do you mean by that?

[LGilsenan1]

As others have said I think it'll all come down to what Beterbiev has left. I'll stick my neck out and say Smith stops him. I do rate Smith but inactivity could be a big factor.

[SeanBrennan]

Yarde is much fresher than Smith...

What do you mean by that?

Uses Lynx.

[Oiky]

Beterbiev ride out the early questions from Smith and then beat the s**t out of him

[steve689]

Smith winning does absolutely zero for me. Hoping Beterbiev smashes him to bits and fights Bivol. That's what we all want and need.

Smith's had chances in the past, and he's farted around, going inactive for huge swathes and giving one of the most pitiful performances you could ask for against Canelo.

Even this older, weary, injury-prone version of Beterbiev is way more intriguing.

[SeanBrennan]

I hope Smith wins but even an old Beterbiev is terrifying.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[TheLeprechaun]

Smith can look devastating, but there are question marks when the heat is put back his way. Yarde is much fresher than Smith and even with him having the fight of his life he came up well short.

Main factor here is Beterbiev's age. If he's anything near top form then I expect him to win.

Smith is a live underdog.

I think Callum doesn't like being hit which is going to be a huge problem. Survival mode won't keep him safe here also. I don't see him lasting the distance.

[TheLeprechaun]

After watching about an hour of footage on both and I think Smith is going to get absolutely mullered here. Nightmare style for him.

[margaret thatcher]

that check left hook of cal's + beter sometimes being open and coming in aggressively make cal a serious threat at this stage for beter imo. i didnt like how ragged beter was at times vs yarde, granted i didnt think it was quite as competitive as some people were making out

that said, who would really be all that surprised if cal gets nailed early and then does another cover up like he did vs canelo. beter can really thud with every shot and might be able to shell cal up

[Coco]

After watching about an hour of footage on both and I think Smith is going to get absolutely mullered here. Nightmare style for him.

I agree, I see Smith going into his shell

But he is daring to dream, going up against one of the best, it would be a great British win.

[forcefraser]

I think we may see a shellacking of epic proportions here. Smith is tough, he took a beating from Canelo and never really looked like going down, but Artur hits way harder and will be on him non stop.

If Smith survives past 8 rounds I`ll be very surprised. Beterbiev cuts off the ring so well and doesn`t mind taking a dig to get into range. Smith`s ribs will be screaming after a few rounds and I reckon we`ll see him take a Dubois style knee and hope his corner throws the towel in so he doesn`t have to quit in the ring.

[samwbr]

Seems a pretty low key event in the wider sports media.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Beterbiev: Like Mike Tyson Said - 'Everyone Will Have a Plan Before They Get Punched'

“I just try to do my job,” he said during Top Rank’s “A Tale of Ten Punches” show.

“I see a power puncher that comes forward, but he’s hittable,” Radivoje Kalajdzic told me before he challenged the Russian for the IBF 175-pound crown in May of 2019. “He’s been dropped twice, and I have power, as well, so it’s gonna be a fun night. I’m a come forward fighter, too. All my fights, I come forward and press the issue so it’s going to be interesting.”

“It’s like Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone will have a plan before they get punched,’” said Beterbiev on “A Tale of Ten Punches.”

“When you box with a southpaw it is a little bit different,” said Beterbiev, who had a slow start before starting to take over. Then a clash of heads produced a nasty cut in the middle of his forehead and the complexion of the fight changed.

“When I got cut, my blood is not stopping,” Beterbiev said. “When you prepare for a fight, you need to be ready for different scenarios.”

“One sparring partner compared sparring with me with car accident,” said Beterbiev on “A Tale of Ten Punches.”

[RuudOEN84]

Seems a pretty low key event in the wider sports media.

Yes. And nowhere to be broadcasted outside of US or UK, (at least I can't find any).

[Ruthless-RKO]

[tony1234]

Hardly seen a mention of this in the mainstream media. A pity as it's a decent fight

[TheLeprechaun]

In over his head here is Callum. Hes going to get starched. I think people still don't really understand how good Beterbiev is.

[TheLeprechaun]

I think we may see a shellacking of epic proportions here. Smith is tough, he took a beating from Canelo and never really looked like going down, but Artur hits way harder and will be on him non stop.

If Smith survives past 8 rounds I`ll be very surprised. Beterbiev cuts off the ring so well and doesn`t mind taking a dig to get into range. Smith`s ribs will be screaming after a few rounds and I reckon we`ll see him take a Dubois style knee and hope his corner throws the towel in so he doesn`t have to quit in the ring.

Agreed. Maybe Smith lands something but Beterbiev has got through a crisis before. Smith gets hit hard here and I think he could start going into survival mode again but there is no survival mode vs Beterbiev.

[omalley]

In over his head here is Callum. Hes going to get starched. I think people still don't really understand how good Beterbiev is.

Or how good 39-year-old Beterbiev was - with all his injuries, illnesses, infections (including COVID-19) and very long amateur career with hundreds of bouts ...

[samwbr]

Is Moloney v Ssnchez the headline fight on the show?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Is Moloney v Ssnchez the headline fight on the show?

Nope.

Thats on ESPN+ the prelims.. its the headline of that

[rhino222]

This is a very intriguing fight, I feel if it goes past 5 rounds then its Callum Smiths fight. Thats my gut feeling. If Callum gets hurt early then he will go into his shell but will eventually be tagged, but if Callum boxes smart and doesnt get hurt early he could wear Beterbiev down in the stretch.

If Beterbiev senses he has hurt Smith in the fight, then he will be all over him like a fat kid with a bag of chips.

[maverick23]

This is a very intriguing fight, I feel if it goes past 5 rounds then its Callum Smiths fight. Thats my gut feeling. If Callum gets hurt early then he will go into his shell but will eventually be tagged, but if Callum boxes smart and doesnt get hurt early he could wear Beterbiev down in the stretch.

If Beterbiev senses he has hurt Smith in the fight, then he will be all over him like a fat kid with a bag of chips.

I can’t see Smith winning late. Beterbiev had a good work rate and the pace of the fight will likely be dictated by him.

If Smith can avoid getting hurt in the first couple of rounds then he might be able to hurt Beterbiev with a big counter as Beterbiev isn’t usually too difficult to hit.

Smith struggled against Canelo and Ryder who both have fairly tight guards and he had Canelo at reasonably late notice.

He’s had an age to get ready for Beterbiev and will be hoping that the wear and tear shows on Beterbiev.

Part of me thinks Smith catches him and takes him out. I also can’t look past Beterbiev grinding him down and finishing him to the body.

Really good fight.

[omalley]

He’s had an age to get ready for Beterbiev and will be hoping that the wear and tear shows on Beterbiev.

Smith has had an age to get rusty.