ARTUR BETERBIEV continued his 100 per cent knockout record after stopping Callum Smith in the seventh round.
The unified light heavyweight champion stretched his record to 20 knockouts in 20 fights.
He became the first man to drop Smith after the Brit hit the canvas around a minute into the seventh round.
Smith tried to use his towering height and long levers but bearded Beterbiev – in impossibly long black shorts – walked through all of his long-range efforts and broke him down with a spiteful jab and violent close-range blows.
Smith’s eye sockets and cheekbones were bloodied and bruised after only three rounds, even though he enjoyed some success in the second.
By the start of round five Smith looked like a broken man, as his two-weight dream slipped away. And by the end of the stanza he looked like the victim of GBH, just hoping for a full recovery.
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It thankfully came to an end in round seven, when a whipped right hook frazzled his senses and the follow-up assault drove him down to his knees.
Smith heroically beat the count but he was swiftly hammered back into the Canadian canvas and the referee and his corner stopped the onslaught.
Smith, 33, struggled to beat the referee’s count before his trainer Buddy McGirt stepped into the ring to call a halt to the fight.
Beterbiev – who had raised levels of testosterone and human growth hormone in his system in a December test, but not enough to fail or cancel the fight – has now defended his titles for eight consecutive fights, knocking out the likes of Anthony Yarde and Joe Smith Jr along the way.
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Now he is eyeing a showdown with Dmitry Bivol to add the WBA light heavyweight belt to his collection.
When asked if he wants to face Bivol face next, Beterbiev said: “Yes, of course, I need another fourth belt.”
His promoter Bob Arum confirmed he will hold talks with Bivol’s camp, though said it would likely take place three months after the end Ramadan, so possibly next summer.
Smith, who was the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev, suffered the second loss of his career having been beaten by Canelo Alvarez in December 2020.
But he was dominated throughout with all three judges scoring in Beterbiev’s favour after six rounds.
Smith revealed he will consider his future and did not rule out the possibility of retiring.
He said: “I’m gonna spend some time with my family and see what the future holds. I don’t know, I’ve had a good career, been a world champion, been top of the mountain. I’ve given a lot to boxing over the years.
“I need to sit down and assess what goals I still want to achieve. I wanted to be a two-division world champion, but I’ve come up short tonight. It’s hard to accept that I’m not the best in the world.
“I’ll have to sit and assess what the future holds.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
