Callum Smith blames his loss to unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on being out of the ring for 17 months and not having any sparring for 5 to 6 weeks in camp for their clash on January 13.
Beterbie’s Fallout loss
In that fight, everything went wrong for Smith (30-2, 22 KOs). Beterbiev blew him out in seven rounds (21-0, 20 KOs) and made him look like an average fighter.
Callum bounced back from that loss, knocking out little-known Colombian Carlos Galvan (20-15-2, 19 KOs) in the fifth round on November 30 last year.
Next up for Smith, 34, is WBO interim light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on Feb. 22 on the undercard of Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 in Riyadh. If Callum can win this fight against the undefeated Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs), he could get an eventual title shot against the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 rematch.
Several boxing fans believe Smith will beat the tough 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Buatsi. Buatsi can punch, has a strong chin and is aggressive. In his last fight, he went through pure hell, defeating Willy Hutchinson by split decision in 12 rounds on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Not known for being a bit of a puncher, Hutchinson hurt Buatsi several times in the fight just by staying in the fight and constantly attacking him. However, there were moments when Buatsi looked on the verge of knocking him out. The punches that Joshua hit Hutchinson in that fight would probably have been too much for Callum and he would surely have given up.
No more excuses
“I hate fighters who make excuses, but I had 17 months out of the ring, after which you thought ‘I’m going to get a lot of sparring’, but I didn’t. Before that, I didn’t do sparring for five or six weeks. I didn’t prepare well,” Callum Smith told Sky Sports Boxing on why he lost to unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13 last year.
“So the preparation was not ideal. I was out of the ring for 17 months. I really couldn’t afford to put it off again and have it be two years out of the ring. That was a challenge. He had the belts, he was the champion. You live and learn.
“I believed that I would make it that night, but I didn’t. I lost the fight and paid the price. I went and assessed what went wrong. I believe I am“I made it right, I improved and I’m a better fighter because of it,” said Smith.
It sure sounds like Callum is making excuses for his loss. Oh well, I guess he has to say something to try and figure out what happened to him in his loss to Beterbiev. This is called ‘protecting the ego’.
“I didn’t do any sparring for five or six weeks before that” 🗣️
Callum Smith opens up about his loss to Artur Beterbiev. pic.twitter.com/4j3CdyWOd7
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 14, 2025
