Callum Smith will give it another go at world level, against WBO interim light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on February 22 in Riyadh.
Is Buatsi damaged?
It’s a formidable obstacle ahead of Smith, challenging big puncher Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) for his interim belt, but he catches him at the right time. Buatsi (31) comes from a war with Willy Hutchinson on September 21, and he hurt himself several times in that fight.
Hutchinson isn’t known for his power, but he showed what a fighter can do if they don’t quit and keep landing. He also showed that Buatsi could be hurt and vulnerable if hit enough. Callum had much better strength, and he was able to take advantage of the cracks in Buatsi’s armor that Willy had revealed.
Smith (34) was knocked out in the seventh round by unified heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13 earlier this year. The 12-year pro Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) put in a match effort but was outmatched by Beterbiev, who took him out with a barrage of artillery in the seventh.
Smith’s power
Some of the short punches that Smith hit Beterbiev with would give Buatsi big problems because he was swinging for the fences in that fight. Artur wasn’t hard to find with his left hook, but he walked through the shots to eventually knock him out.
In his last fight, on November 30, Smith defeated unknown Carlos Galvan with a fifth-round knockout in a confidence bowler.
Former 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 fight against Canelo, and of course the money he got in that fight kept him inactive. If Smith is going to take advantage of the time he has left in his career, he should try to fight at least three times a year instead of on an annual basis.
