Callum Smith will attempt another round at the global level, as he faces WBO light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on February 22 in Riyadh.
Is the poatsi damaged?
It's a huge hurdle for Smith, as he challenges the great boxer Buatsi (19-0, 13 KO) for his interim belt, but he catches him in the nick of time. Buatsi, 31, emerged from the war with Willie Hutchinson On September 21, he was wounded several times in that battle.
Hutchinson isn't known for his power, but he showed what a fighter can do when he doesn't stop and keeps landing. It also showed that Buatsi can get hurt and be vulnerable if he gets hit enough. Callum had much better strength, and could take advantage of the cracks in Buatsi's armor that Willy had exposed.
Smith, 34, was knocked out in the seventh round earlier this year by unified heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13. The 12-year-old professional Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) made an effort in the game, but was outclassed by Beterbiev, who took him out with an artillery barrage in the seventh round.
Smith power
Some of the short shots that Smith hit Beterbiev with would cause huge problems for Buatsi as he was swinging for the fences in that fight. Artur wasn't hard to find with his left hook, but he ran through the shots to eventually knock him out.
In his last fight, on November 30, Smith defeated little-known Carlos Galvan by fifth-round knockout in a confidence-building bout.
WBA super middleweight champion Smith's career has slowed since losing his title to Canelo Alvarez four years ago in a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision loss on December 19, 2020.
Smith has only fought four times since the bout against Canelo, and the money he earned in that bout clearly allowed him to be inactive. If Smith is going to make the most of the time he has left in his career, he should try to fight at least three times a year instead of fighting on an annual basis.
