Massive boxing action is set for the Videotron Centre in Quebec City this weekend, as Artur Beterbiev defends his WBC, WBO, and IBF light-heavyweight championships against Callum Smith.
It should be a thrilling fight in prospect this week, with Smith bidding to becoming a two-weight world champion after losing his titles against Canelo Alvarez a couple of years ago. But, which fighter will come out on top in Canada this weekend?
Beterbiev vs Smith Odds
It should be a thrilling night of title action in Canada this weekend, but the latest BetXchange odds show Beterbiev as the commanding 1/5 favorite to land victory and successfully defend his titles.
A victory for Callum Smith is seen as the outside chance in the two-way betting at 29/10. One of the most unlikeliest results based on the odds available is the draw, which is priced up at 17/1.
Beterbiev Looking To Continue Dominance
There have been few more dominant fighters on the planet in recent history than Artur Beterbiev. The Russian-born Canadian-national has won all 19 of his professional fights, with all victories coming by way of knockout. His stunning record has catapulted him to the top of the light-heavyweight division, having held the IBF title since a November 2017 success over Enrico Kolling in California.
He added the WBC crown in October 2019 following a tenth-round stoppage against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, before adding the WBO title with a sensational performance against Joe Smith Jr in New York in June 2022.
That win was one of his quickest finishes in history, beating his British rival in the second round. Since then, he has defended his unified titles on one occasion, defeating Anthony Yarde in the eighth round via TKO at the OVO Arena Wembley in January 2023.
Smith Presents Serious Challenge
This fight has been a long time coming for Smith, as it was originally set to take place last year before Beterbiev was forced to have emergency surgery. However, the odds show the British fighter as the massive outsider to claim victory this weekend, which is somewhat of a shock given his performances at the highest level throughout his career.
The 33-year-old has been a strong fighter at the top level throughout his career, and he previously held the European and British super-middleweight belts between 2015 and 2017. Since then, he has been able to take his performances to the next level, which was highlighted when he won the WBA and The Ring super-middleweight titles in September 2018 with a stunning seventh-round finish against George Groves.
However, his title reign came to an end in late 2020 after being defeated by Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision. But, he has returned to action in fine fashion since that first professional defeat, scoring a second-round win against Lenin Castillo in September 2021 before defeating Mathieu Bauderlique via a fourth-round knockout in August 2022.
Beterbiev vs Smith Prediction
Smith is being massively overlooked at the odds available this weekend, and we could see Beterbiev being taken the distance for the first time in his career. But, we could see him getting the rub of the green on the scorecards to maintain his perfect record.
