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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Artur Beterbiev’s unified light heavyweight championship defense against Callum Smith on Aug. 19 has been postponed as Beterbiev deals with a bone infection to his jaw, Top Rank announced Sunday.
The infection was a result of dental work, sources told ESPN.
The timetable for Beterbiev’s recovery is unclear at this time. The 38-year-old, ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound boxer, was slated to fight in his adopted hometown of Quebec for the first time since December 2021.
The fight is expected to be rescheduled for later this year or early in 2024, per sources.
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) is boxing’s only champion with a 100% knockout rate. The Russia native is coming off a thrilling eighth-round TKO victory over Anthony Yarde in January in London.
Beterbiev, who owns the WBC, WBO and IBF titles, is ESPN’s No. 2 boxer at 175 pounds. There’s heavy anticipation ahead of a potential undisputed light heavyweight title clash next year with Dmitry Bivol, ESPN’s No. 1 175-pounder. It’s uncertain how Beterbiev’s injury might impact the timeframe for a possible fight with Bivol.
Once he’s cleared to fully resume training, Beterbiev must deal with his WBC mandatory defense against Smith.
The 33-year-old Englishman is a former super middleweight champion. He won the World Boxing Super Series final against George Groves via seventh-round TKO in 2018 to establish himself as the top boxer at 168 pounds. Smith’s lone pro defeat came in 2020 against Canelo Alvarez in a rout.
His brother Liam Smith, a former junior middleweight titleholder, also lost to Alvarez in a championship defense.
Following the loss to Alvarez, Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) moved up to 175 pounds. He has fought twice at light heavyweight, in stoppage wins inside four rounds against domestic-level opposition.