Artur Beterbiev And Callum Smith Official For August 19
Unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) will defend his titles against WBC No.1 contender Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) on August 19 in Québec City, Canada. The bout will take place at the Videotron Centre and will be Beterbiev’s first fight in the city since a brutal knockout victory over Gabriel Campillo in 2015. It is also Beterbiev’s first fight in Canada since he knocked out Marcus Browne on December 17, 2021.
The entire fight card will be promoted by Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) and Top Rank Boxing, in association with Matchroom Boxing. Beterbiev-Smith and a to be announced co-feature will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Beterbiev, originally of Russia, moved to Canada to begin his professional boxing career. He is currently the only world champion to have ended all his fights by knockout and is one of the top European fighters. The fight with Smith will be his ninth world title fight.
“Québec is my second home, so I’m very happy to finally defend my titles on home turf,” Beterbiev said. “When you are world champion, everyone wants the opportunity to take your belt, and that’s especially true in my case, with three titles at stake. I’ve already started my training camp, and I’ll be ready to not only defend my belts, but to also put on an impressive show August 19.”
Smith, of Liverpool, is a former super middleweight champion. His reign came to an end when he lost a unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez in 2020. Since then, he has moved up to light heavyweight and won two fights by knockout.
Smith said,“I’m excited to finally get my opportunity to become a two-weight world champion. I’m no stranger to fighting on away soil, having boxed in Saudi Arabia twice, across America, and now heading to Canada on August 19. There was no hesitation from me going to Canada to fight Artur Beterbiev, and I will be returning to Liverpool as a world champion once more.”
The full card is yet to be announced. However, it will feature super middleweight Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 KOs) who is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Carlos Gongora earlier this year. Canadian heavyweight Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) is also set to make an appearance. Quebecers Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 KO), Clovis Drolet (13-1, 9 KOs), and Leïla Beaudoin (9-1, 1 KO) will also feature on the card.
Tickets for the event can be bought beginning May 26, at 12 p.m. ET. Fans can use Ticketmaster to purchase the tickets.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
