Artur Beterbiev’s upcoming fight with Callum Smith on August 19th, 2023, has been postponed due to the Russian having a bone infection in his jaw.
Beterbiev was set to defend his WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight belts as the Russian’s 100 percent knockout rate made him a heavy favorite over the former super middleweight champion, Smith.
Beterbiev’s last fight was against Anthony Yarde, as he stopped the Brit in the eighth round. Meanwhile, Smith has recovered from his only defeat to Canelo Alvarez in 2020 by winning two fights on the bounce.
‼️ Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith has reportedly been postponed from Aug 19th as Beterbiev is dealing with a dental injury. [According to @MikeCoppinger]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 30, 2023
Victories over Gilberto Castillo Rivera and Mathieu Bauderlique put him in line for a title shot against Beterbiev.
Although a new date for the bout has not been confirmed, Beterbiev has undergone surgery in an attempt to recover as soon as possible.
Social Media Reaction
Damn – I was picking Smith to shock the world here
— ModernGrooveAssembly (@mgaforlife) July 31, 2023
Was looking forward to it but dental injuries are no joke when being a boxer.
— Boxing, Cinema and DC (@Giavotella_170) July 30, 2023
Looks like Callum and Benavidez are both available… Would love to see it
— . (@chris97650750) July 30, 2023