Eye of the Tiger!!! Smith`s deserved and earned usurper challenge to “King Artur`s” Throne

Callum Smith`s path on the long and winding way to challenging for the glittering prize of the World Boxing Council light heavyweight Crown, has had a lot to do with his brilliant progression, via winning an array of WBC titles.

He`s been steadily and intrepidly climbing the ever steepening slope, to ascend to this daunting and rarefied summit, against a formidable champion who has ruthlessly and unrelentingly demolished  each and every one of his nineteen opponents to date in the pro arena.

This fight will indeed be great and it will prove dig deep memorable. It`s this Saturday night at the Videotron Center, Quebec City. Artur is a Canadian Citizen and this hallowed land is his adopted home. It`s on his turf! In attempting to dictate terms, Callum is striding into the lion`s den with the courage, skill, tenacity and tempered ferocity of a tiger, in order to earn his stripes. An absolutely necessary clause, reinforced by a burning desire. Only total focused willpower fueled by burning ambition will be enough and sufficient to achieve his goal. Nothing less will be even close to enough.

Callum John Smith who is part of a boxing family, is himself a renown KO artist. His record is an impressive 29-1, 21 KO`s. Callum acknowledges the magnitude of the task ahead which is facing him full square in the face. He`s convinced he has the credentials, the ingenuity and the true grit to apply in his quest to win the title and he says he will do everything in his power to achieve it with a KO of his very own.

He has also soberingly stated that it this rarefied level he must totally focus, concentrate, and stick to his strategy by keeping and maintaining his defence tight, not making or committing any significant forced or unforced errors and fight to his full plus true potential level, of which he knows he`s capable. He will be Artur Beterbiev`s sternest test so far. To date, Callum`s only defeat came when losing his WBA title to the brilliant Saul Canelo Alvarez. En route to that defeat, callum suffered a detached left bicep. In spite of this significant hampering setback, he regrouped and fought on… mostly one handed, to go the full distance and defeat by UD.

Callum held that WBA super middleweight title from 2018 to 2020. He won it with a seventh round KO of compatriot George Groves in the final of the World Boxing Super Series and with it the Muhammad Ali Trophy, presented to him by Ali`s daughter Laila, herself an undefeated champion in her time. He was British and European Champion 2015-2017.

The road to reach Saturday night took an initial upward turn, when Callum won the WBC`s International title via a sixth round KO of Ruben Eduardo Acosta. He then KO`d Tobias Webb in round two to retain it. He progressed with a third round stoppage of wily veteran Rafael Sosa Pintos, who he knocked down thrice. Callum then won a WBC eliminator against rugged and durable Serbian Nicola Sjekloca with a convincing UD. Then another UD victory, this time over durable Christopher Rebrasse, for the WBC Silver title.

He then faced also undefeated Rocky Fielding for the British title. Callum knocked down Rocky three times, winning in round one, five seconds from the bell! Next up was Hadillah Mohoudadi for the European title. It was also a WBC final eliminator. Callum won with a first round KO. He retained it when Norberto Nemesapati could not continue in round six. Callum successfully retained his British crown stopping Luke Blackledge in the tenth. Luke was down in the third and the eighth. A left hook poleaxed him in that tenth. Then on to the Super Series and his overwhelming victory of George Groves, over which he towered. Defending his world title he defeated teak tough John “Gorilla” Ryder by UD.

Following the losing tempestuous encounter with Superstar Canelo, Callum moved up to light heavyweight defeating both Lenin Castillo and Mathieu by devastating one punch KO`s. So here we are, with Callum standing on the edge of time. Both he and Artur are utterly determined to clock each other. The minutes are ticking down to that moment. High noon… and then some!