Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith: Full card results
The highly anticipated Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith title fight is in the books. The bout came to fruition after several delays and months of uncertainty.
Beterbiev put his WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles on the line against the former super-middleweight champion. The undefeated champion was coming off a spectacular TKO win over Anthony Yarde in January 2023.
Meanwhile, Smith amassed a two-fight win streak since losing the WBA super-middleweight title to Canelo Alvarez in December 2020.
In the co-headliner, Cameroonian-French boxer Christian Mbilli put his undefeated record on the line against Australia's Rohan Murdock. Mbilli is the WBC Continental Americas and the WBC International super-middleweight title holder and the belts were on the line.
The event featured several interesting matchups and took place at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada. Check out the full card results below.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith ends with knockout
Artur Beterbiev was a considerable favorite over Callum Smith heading into their Jan. 13 clash. The 12-round showdown justified the odds as Beterbiev emerged victorious with a devastating knockout.
Smith attempted to keep the fight in the center of the ring from the get-go. But the champion succeded in pushing him close to the ropes for the majority of the opening frame.
Smith enjoyed a degree of success by using his jab effectively to keep the Russian-Canadian loyal to defense. Meanwhile, Beterbiev did his best work when he found openings to close the range. The champion turned up the heat and found incremental success in closing the distance as the fight progressed.
Beterbiev staggered Smith in Round 7 with a powerful right hand and followed up with a barrage of punches to score the knockdown. Smith, who had never been knocked down in his boxing career, answered the referee's call.
The champion aggressively followed up to score the second knockdown which sealed the deal for him. Beterbiev won the fight via knockout to retain the WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight championships.
Rising boxer scores knockout in co-main event
In the co-main event, Rohan Murdock put on a respectable resistance to Christian Mbilli's onslaught. However, the Cameroonian-French fighter took over as the bout progressed. He landed with a staggeringly high volume and accuracy to put the Australian on the backfoot.
By the midway point, Murdock's corner had seen enough and appeared ready to throw in the towel. But the 31-year-old offered good counter-offence in Round 6. Mbilli rallied toward the end of the round and had the Australian visibly hurt.
Murdock's corner chose their fighter's long-term health and decided to call it quits. Mbilli's win extended his record to 27-0. 'Solide' hailed Canelo Alvarez as the best fighter in his division and reiterated his resolve to take on the Mexican during the post-fight interview.
Elsewhere, WBO bantamweight champion Jason Moloney defeated Saul Sanchez via majority decision in a closely contested 12-rounder. The win marked the first defense of Moloney's title reign. He won the vacant title match against Vincent Astrolabio in May 2023.
Check out the Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith event results below:
Main card
Artur Beterbiev Callum Smith via knockout (2:00, RD 7)
Christian Mbilli def. Rohan Murdock via TKO (Corner stoppage, RD 6)
Preliminary card
Jason Moloney def. Saul Sanchez via majority decision (114-114, 116-112, 116-112)
Imam Khataev def. Michal Ludwiczak via TKO (2:17, RD 2)
Leila Beaudoin def. Elizabeth Espinoza via unanimous decision (78-74, 78-74, 77-75)
Wilkens Mathieu def. Jose Arias Alvarez via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-35, 40-35)
Mehmet Unal def. Dragon Lepei via TKO (0:57, RD 1)
Christopher Guerro def. Sergio Herrera via unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, 78-74)
Moreno Fendero def. Victor Hugo Flores via knockout (2:16, RD 1)