Top Rank Boxing has won the rights to promote the WBC mandatory light heavyweight fight between unified champion Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith with a bid of $2,115,000, outbidding Matchroom by a mere $15,000!
The winner of the fight will win a 10% bonus, which is an innovation by the WBC to add incentives to the winner of the fight.
How did smith get a title shot? Beterbiev is getting up there in age now but he will still absolutely destroy smith! It will be a mauling. They better have doctors and ambulance on standby.
I am picking Callum Smith in a upset.
Knock out Round 6.
I think you should bet the life savings on Smith…I really do…LOL
Beterviev by stoppage under 3.
Good for them! You know if Matchroom had won, the fight would be in England. Have a unified world champion fighting back to back mandatories in his opponent’s backyard just doesn’t seem fair. Maybe now this happens in one of those cool ass red rings in Montreal??
I keep seeing an article in several news outlets that the WBC wont sanction a Bivol fight due to Russia sanctions, Bivol & Beterview are Russians, for one yes, for the other one no… Can anyone decipher this enigma and explain to me like I am a 4 yo with toys, apples, and oranges….
Their rationale is that Beterbiev is now a Canadian citizen, while Bivol is still a Russian citizen.
Thank you Wildman well Bivol trains and is based out of Indio, CA, that should make him at least a US permanent resident, so I am back to square one.
Beterbiev will show Canelo how to stop Callum smith. And Canelo wont ever dare come near Artur.
beterbiev-bivol would be much better for me
Smith can punch. I’ve seen him throw absolute bombs and ko people cold. That being said, there is no chance he beats berterbiev . No way.
Hopefully, Smith fights with the urgency (against Beterbiev) that was so lacking (from him) in the Alvarez fight.
Easy night for Beterbiev
Smith’s effort against Canelo reminded me of when Danny Jacobs fought Canelo; they probably took a bag with the lackluster effort, you can throw Kovalev in there as well. Canelo should not be looking to fight Beterbiev or Bivol, they are out of his weight class and too good. Beterbiev will win this, no problems. Hopefully, the fight with Bivol gets made next.
Who’s paying this 10% incentive to the winner? The WBC or the promotor?