- Beterbiev stops Smith in 7th round, retains light-heavyweight titles.
- Beterbiev controlled the fight from the start, landed precise jabs.
- Beterbiev seeks unification bout, wants all 4 belts.
In order to retain his light-heavyweight belts at the WBC, IBF, and WBO, the Russian methodically destroyed Smith.
Before the 33-year-old Smith's team removed him from the fight, he twice floored the challenger in the eighth.
"I think it's because of luck," Beterbiev, 38, modestly said.
Having stopped all 20 of his professional opponents at a distance to preserve his perfect record, he is now aiming for a unification bout against fellow Russian and WBA champion Dmitry Bivol.
"I need a fourth belt. It would mean in this category I have done my work," Beterbiev stated. He aspires to become the first unchallenged light-heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
Smith, a former super-middleweight champion from Liverpool, lost his second fight in 31 appearances after being stopped for the first time in his professional career.
At the Videotron Centre, the challenger made a subdued entry, and the home audience applauded Beterbiev, who also possesses dual Canadian citizenship.
Though Smith eventually calmed down, Beterbiev swiftly gained total control and unloaded within the first fifteen seconds.
Midway through the fourth round, Smith found himself backed up on the ropes due to crisp landings of right hands, hooks to the body, and straight jabs.
The British man stuck with it and kept throwing punches at the unflappable Beterbiev, but 'El Mundo' Smith—who hadn't been in the ring since August 2022—started to lose confidence.
His fists lacked oomph since he had bruises beneath both eyes, as if the writing was permanently on the wall.
Beterbiev, a two-time Olympian, had underappreciated boxing abilities in addition to explosive power. He controlled the distance and landed precise, short, and quick jabs.
Halfway through the seventh round, Smith took a counter right to the top of his head, and Beterbiev retaliated with a flurry of blows to the head and body.
Smith, powerless, knelt down and collapsed onto the canvas a few seconds later. On the count of eight, he stood up, only to fall back down a few seconds later.
Smith's trainer Buddy McGirt entered the ring and motioned to Michael Griffin to end the fight. Smith fell to his knees, comforted by his brothers, and the referee obeyed.
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