NEWS: CALLUM SMITH TO FACE JOSHUA BUATSI BEFORE ARTUR BETERBIEV-ANTHONY YARDE WINNER; TYSON FURY NOT TAKING DERECK CHISORA LIGHTLY
By: Jay Calderon
CALLUM SMITH AWAITS ARTUR BETERBIEV-ANTHONY YARDE WINNER, MAY FACE JOSHUA BUATSI
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, former Super Middleweight world champion Callum Smith already has a good portion of his 2023 mapped out.
While the details will still need to be finalized, the next step for the Liverpool native is a return to action in March. The opponent hasn't been cemented, but Hearn suggested that an all-British encounter with unbeaten contender Joshua Buatsi is a possibility.
Regardless of the opponent, the March encounter will be used to help prepare Smith for his mandatory shot at the WBC 175 pound champion. The title, currently possessed by Artur Beterbiev, will be on the line on January 28, when Beterbiev battles the hard-hitting Anthony Yarde.
Provided Smith gets through his March showdown unscathed, Hearn says the next fight will be with the winner.
"We'll see if it's Buatsi next for Callum Smith," Hearn told BoxingScene.com. "But what we do know, Callum is back at it March 11, and then -- as long as he wins -- onto the winner of Beterbiev-Yarde for all the marbles."
There wasn't much said in the way of a date for Smith's title challenge, but one could imagine a summer showdown based on the fights currently scheduled for the involved parties.
It's a very interesting set of fights, particularly if Smith elects to take on Buatsi, a skilled and presumably highly-motivated contender himself. One would definitely have to credit Callum for taking the high risk, low reward counterpart on the verge of such a big fight.
To be fair, the winner of Smith-Buatsi taking on the winner of Beterbiev-Yarde isn't too bad, either. While the fight at 175 pounds that everyone wants to see is Beterbiev vs. fellow titlist Dmitry Bivol, the latter may be tied up with a Canelo Alvarez rematch later in 2023. So, at this point, anything seems possible.
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TYSON FURY FOCUSED AND PREPARED FOR DERECK CHISORA
On Saturday at the Hotspur Stadium in London, England, and live on BT Sport Box Office, Heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury will battle long-time rival Dereck Chisora for a third and presumably final time.
Originally, the pair met back in 2011 for the British Heavyweight title, with Fury pulling off the unanimous decision. The pair met once again in 2014, with Fury putting in an even better shift, stopping Chisora after ten rounds of action.
Most assumed the rivalry ended there. However, when a contest between Fury and British rival Anthony Joshua failed to materialize, Fury opted to revisit his old nemesis.
Fans and media members alike have more or less dismissed this fight as little more than a stay-busy encounter for Fury. However, the undefeated giant assured those in attendance at the final presser that he wasn't taking Chisora lightly.
"I hear all these critics talking bullshit, who have basically never taken a punch in their lives. But in a two horse race, you never underestimate anybody. Anything can go wrong," Fury said.
"And we've seen many times in the past, when champions overlook their opponents," continued Fury. "They're thinking about other names, and other big fights. And then you've got the opponent training away, nice and steadily, no pressure. He goes in there and knocks the motherfucker out. Seen it time and time again.
"But for me, that will never happen because I train very hard and I respect every opponent I've ever faced. I give 110% every time I'm in the gym. I've put in nine weeks of training ... and I wanna come in and put on a show. Dereck's gonna come and knock me out, and I'm gonna try and knock him out," assured Fury.
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