Artur Beterbiev stopped Callum Smith in seven rounds this past weekend in Quebec City to defend his combined WBC, IBF, and WBO 175-pound titles.
The only other major title in the division is held by WBA champion Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11KOs), and Beterbiev(20-0, 20 KOs)a 38-year old Russian boxer intends to compete for that title next.
“Yes, of course. I need a fourth belt. It would mean a lot to me. It’s the top. It would mean in this category I have done work,” said Beterbiev in media reports.
“It’s not done yet. But absolutely we want to do it,” said Bob Arum, Beterbiev’s promoter confident that Beterbiev vs Bivol bout will happen.
Considering that Beterbiev will be observing Ramadan first, the fight might happen in the summer.
“Ramadan is coming. Ramadan ends some time in the middle of April so about three months after the end of Ramadan we’ll be ready to fight Bivol, probably in Riyadh,” said Bob Arum.
Beterbiev once again demonstrated how damaging he can be when he faced Callum Smith.
“We had a couple strategies. We always have more than one. We need to be prepared for several strategies,” said Beterbiev.
“He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong. He’s good. Thanks to him. But today, luck is on my side,” he added.
Following the defeat, Callum Smith (29-2, 21KOs) from England expressed uncertainty about his future and acknowledged that Beterbiev had been the best fighter of the evening.
“I’m disappointed, obviously. I’m used to being the best and to accept that I’m not is a hard one to take. He stopped me getting my rhythm and stopped me getting my momentum. He’s good at constantly touching, a bit like my brother Liam [Smith],” said Smith in media reports.
“I’ve got an amazing family at home, I give a lot to boxing. Without making any decisions. I think it’s time to assess the future, see if I’ve got any goals to motivate me to go back to the gym,” he added.
“If not, I’m going to go spend time with my family. I’ve got two little ones at home and I’ve missed them so I’m going to spend time with them and see what the future holds,” he continued.
