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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Artur Beterbiev’s unified light heavyweight championship defense against Callum Smith on Aug. 19 has been postponed as Beterbiev deals with a dental injury, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The timetable for Beterbiev’s recovery is unclear at this time. The 38-year-old Beterbiev, ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound boxer, was slated to fight in his adopted hometown of Quebec, Canada, for the first time since December 2021.
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) is boxing’s only champion with a 100% knockout ratio. The Russia native is coming off a thrilling eighth-round TKO victory over Anthony Yarde in January in London.
Beterbiev, who owns the WBC, WBO and IBF titles, is ESPN’s No. 2 boxer at 175 pounds. There’s heavy anticipation ahead of a potential undisputed light heavyweight title clash next year with Dmitry Bivol, ESPN’s No. 1 175-pounder. It’s uncertain how Beterbiev’s injury might impact the timeframe for a possible fight with Bivol.
Once he’s cleared to fully resume training, Beterbiev must deal with his WBC mandatory defense against Smith.
The 33-year-old Englishman is a former super middleweight champion. He won the World Boxing Super Series final against George Groves via seventh-round TKO in 2018 to establish himself as the top boxer at 168 pounds. Smith’s lone pro defeat came in 2020 against Canelo Alvarez in a rout.
His brother Liam Smith, a former junior middleweight titleholder, also lost to Alvarez in a championship defense.
Following the loss to Alvarez, Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) moved up to 175 pounds. He’s fought twice at light heavyweight; stoppage wins inside four rounds against domestic-level opposition.