A huge light heavyweight bout takes place in Quebec, Canada at the Videotron Arena where light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev and number one contender Callum Smith will go head-to-head in the main event slot on January 13th.
This fight is almost a year in the making after it was ordered in March 2023 and originally being scheduled for August 2023, only for the champion to withdraw due to a bone infection in his jaw which required surgery. But both fighters are ready now and will be looking to go for the belt once more.
We'll take a look at the bout and provide you with our best free boxing betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch two world-class fighters go toe-to-toe in the ring.
Remember that these bookies offer plenty of betting bonuses and promotions.
Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith information
- Saturday, January 13th 2024
- Videotron Arena, Quebec City, Canada
- WBF, WBO and IBF Light Heavyweight Championship (175-pound limit)
- 12 x 3 minute rounds
Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith odds
- Artur Beterbiev - (-450)
- Callum Smith - (+360)
Beterbiev comes into this bout with a perfect record as a professional at 19-0 with 19 knockouts, with sensational power and technical ability.
The Russian-Canadian first won a recognised world title in his 12th fight when he stopped Enrico Kolling, before defending it twice successfully against both Callum Johnson and Radivoje Kalajdzic. He then challenged for the WBC world title against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and dismantled him with a tenth-round stoppage.
Beterbiev then defeated Adam Deines and Marcus Browne before challenging for a third world title against Joe Smith Jr, where a 2nd round finish earned him the WBO world championship. In his last outing Beterbiev defended all three belts and claimed an eighth round stoppage win over Anthony Yarde in London, and this will be his first fight in almost a full year.
You can bet on Beterbiev to claim the victory at a best price of -450, meaning you can must bet $450 to earn a $100 profit.
Standing across from him will be a fine warrior with fantastic technical skill in Smith, who holds a professional record of 29-1 with 21 knockout victories.
Smith is a former super-middleweight world champion, first claiming the WBA and The Ring titles with a seventh-round knockout win over George Groves back in 2018. He successfully defended those championships twice, defeating Hassan N'Jikam at Madison Square Garden with a third-round knockout and then defeating John Ryder via unanimous decision to set up a huge clash with Canelo Alvarez.
The Mexican dominated him and earned a unanimous decision win, which sent Smith up to light heavyweight in pursuit of new gold. He's since claimed two back-to-back wins with knockouts against Lenin Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique in his most recent fight back in August 2022.
You can bet on Smith to claim the victory at a best price of +360, meaning you can earn $360 profit for every $100 you stake.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith preview
This is low-key a dangerous obstacle for the champion. His rise to the top consisted of wins over faded ex-champs and while he scored some nice wins as the champion, but his opponents always had some fatal flaw.
Smith represents a higher grade. But when scanning the landscape for guys you’d consider picking against Beterbiev, you think of guys like Dmitry Bivol and maybe another guy or two who represent that absolute peak of the mountain.
With that said, Callum Smith is below that level. He is good at almost everything, without that one standout trait or the incredible power that can make him a real standout at this level. I see him giving Beterbiev some problems, with the impenetrable and steady champion eventually being able to land enough to get the win.
Smith will need to stay on the outside and move constantly for the entire 12 rounds to get the win, because if he moves forward too recklessly and gets into an exchange he will get his lights turned out.
He has a rapid and accurate jab that he can use to land and stay out of range, but if he doesn't land anything meaningful then he won't earn the respect of Beterbiev and the champion will start marching forward and hunting him down for a finish.
Boxing picks: Beterbiev to dominate @ -450
Artur Beterbiev at -450 betting odds seems like fantastic value for such a dominant champion against an opponent most consider him to be far better than.
While Smith offers challenges to the champion with his size, skills, and energy, he will have no answer for the power and the more-registering blows of the champion. The offense of the champion will make the greater impact to those watching, including the judges, but it's unlikely to get that far.
Beterbiev is so good, he should be able to pile the pressure on in the middle to late rounds and get the finish to make it 20 knockout wins in his career.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
