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Artur Beterbiev defends his unified light-heavyweight titles against Callum Smith tonight, as the pair clash in Quebec City.
Beterbiev has a stunning record of 19-0 with 19 knockouts, while Smith’s sole pro loss came against Saul “Canelo Alvarez” in 2020. It was revealed this week that Russian Beterbiev, who fights out of Canada, has signed to fight compatriot Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia this year, but that unification bout is dependent on the 38-year-old beating Smith tonight.
Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) is a former super-middleweight world champion, and the Liverpudlian’s power has carried since he moved up in weight in 2021. This evening, the 33-year-old will test that power against one of the hardest hitters in boxing.
The bout is going ahead after this week’s revelation that Beterbiev returned an ‘atypical’ drug-test result in December, with the Russian having since been cleared to fight after testing negative. Had Beterbiev returned an ‘adverse’ test result, the fight might have been under threat. Per a report by Kevin Iole: “Beterbiev had received atypical findings for human growth hormone (HGH) and 5D-androstanediol. Both occur naturally in the body.”
Follow live updates and results from Beterbiev vs Smith and the undercard fights, below.
Beterbiev vs Smith LIVE: Start time and ring walks
Tonight’s event takes place at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
Coverage is due to begin at 1am GMT on Sunday 14 January (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday).
No time has yet been announced for the main-event ring walks, but we’re estimating around 3.30am GMT on Sunday (8.30pm PT, 10.30pm CT, 11.30pm ET on Saturday).
Alex Pattle13 January 2024 23:40
Beterbiev vs Smith LIVE: Champion cleared to fight after atypical drug-test finding
It was revealed on Thursday (11 January) that Beterbiev had returned an atypical result in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) test in December. However, the unified light-heavyweight champion has since tested negative and been cleared to compete.
Smith’s promoter Eddie Hearn said there was never a contractual reason to cancel the fight, because Beterbiev’s result was atypical rather than ‘adverse’, while journalist Kevin Iole reported: “An atypical finding is not a violation and requires more testing, and Beterbiev underwent those examinations at Vada’s request. Vada reported negative results from the follow-up tests, from urine tests on Dec 15 and Dec 21 and from blood tests on Dec 21 and Jan 3.
“Beterbiev had received atypical findings for human growth hormone (HGH) and 5D-androstanediol. Both occur naturally in the body. When an atypical finding is received, further testing is required to determine if an athlete naturally produces the substance in his or her body at a greater level than average or if the elevated levels were signs of anti-doping.”
Read the article below to hear what Beterbiev, Smith and Vada had to say about the situation:
Alex Pattle13 January 2024 23:20
Beterbiev vs Smith LIVE
Beterbiev has a stunning record of 19-0 with 19 knockouts, while Smith’s sole pro loss came against Saul “Canelo Alvarez” in 2020. It was revealed this week that Russian Beterbiev, who fights out of Canada, has signed to fight compatriot Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia this year, but that unification bout is dependent on the 38-year-old beating Smith tonight.
Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) is a former super-middleweight world champion, and the Liverpudlian’s power has carried since he moved up in weight in 2021. This evening, the 33-year-old will test that power against one of the hardest hitters in boxing.
Alex Pattle13 January 2024 22:19
