What do you think Callum Smith's chances are?

No, I'm not giving Ryder too much credit because he's short and a southpaw. I'm giving him a ton of credit because he's an exceptional boxer, always has been, and has consistently been one of the most underrated talents in the sport. Ryder has never been beaten up in his career. What the **** are you talking about? He got caught against Blackwell, in a match that he was winning handily beforehand. That Howard Foster stoppage was a terrible one. In no other match than against Canelo was Ryder even close to dominated. Every loss on his record is a controversial one, and why is that? Because he's a defensively sound underrated technician and a top tier pressure fighter, who's hard to hit and tends to excel against bigger guys, because he can use his stance and how compact he is to his advantage far more impressively. Clearly you haven't seen many John Ryder matches, I've seen his last 25 or so matches, give or take one or two of the jobbers he beat. So YEAH, that's why he performed well against Smith, that's why I picked him to perform well against Smith. Because he can get in close and take away all of his advantages, most of which revolve around him fighting long. Are people really so simple minded that they can't remember anything before a bad performance or two? Clearly Callum was reaching the end of the line at 168 by the time he took those two on, and he had less sting on his punches, and he was drained and easier to bully.

Also, as far as his loss against Canelo goes, it's Canelo, in recent years, who hasn't he bullied aside from GGG? And why is that? Because Canelo's head movement is exceptional, and he's incredibly hard to hit clean, he brings suffocating pressure, preventing Callum from getting full extension on his shots, again like Ryder taking his main advantages away. Yes, Beterbiev is a great pressure fighter, but he's not a hard target to find, and fighters can keep him at range for extended periods. Gvozdyk did it, Yarde did it and even a schlub like Browne did it early. Beterbiev isn't the same fighter he once was. Do any of you really think Yarde would've lasted 8 or ****ing Adam Deines would've almost gone the distance against Beterbiev from 2015? Of course not. Callum is bigger possibly as strong, and is hitting much harder at 175. Sending Lenin Castillo into convulsions is proof of that. He will land on Beterbiev a lot, the question is, can Beterbiev at almost 40 years of age still be able to take it? Because I'm pretty sure if Browne lasted 9, Yarde lasted 8 and Deines lasted 10, then Smith, whose more durable than those three and whose jab, left hook and straight right are spiteful to give Beterbiev plenty of pause, can as well. But I'm entirely sure Artur will.

 

Most of them, including Liam and Paul Smith, citing Beterbiev being old/really old, having declined because of Father Time catching up with him, and the timing being right

This content is protected

''As weird as this sounds. I think Beterbiev is in for a tough fight vs Callum Smith. I’m not saying he loses but I think Smith’s catch and counter style can have success vs a midrange engaging puncher. Let me explain. Smith's catch and counter is usually a LEFT HOOK. He catches the opponent's right hand with his left hand, then he turns over a fast nasty left hook. Beterbiev throws a looping right hand often. It's probably his best shot. So the shot that Beterbiev loves to throw, is the shot that Smith waits on to counter''

''Stephen ''Breadman'' Edwards

 

One thing I will say. Why in god's name do so many bang on about Beterbiev being ''vulnerable'' because he's been down before? He's been down twice, the first time of which clearly a balance issue after being shoved off balance and then he got caught with a sneaky shot as his feet weren't under him, and the other against massive puncher Callum Johnson whose hooks sound as meaty and loud as HW punches

Beterbiev has fought lots of big punchers

Gvozdyk
Joe Smith
Callum Johnson
Cloud
Yarde
Hot Rod (14 KO 1s)
Browne
Prieto

We don't hear this ''vulnerable'' talk about many other world champions and P4P stars who've been dropped before even ones who've barely fought any punchers let alone massive bangers like Johnson

 

They are banking on that but to be fair they do have a very valid point. Beterbiev is 39 years old in two weeks, he has been fighting and training since he was 9 y/o, he is past his prime, he does have a ton of miles on the clock and wear and tear on his body, he does have a very aggressive style and has taken a ton of punishment during his amateur and pro career and in the gym too, he has become very injury prone, and history has shown us time and time again that fighters do get old overnight at around his age or even younger, and fighters with his style are very rarely not burnt out by his age, younger or much younger.

Again, I'm picking him to knock Smith out but if he doesn't get old overnight next week it's very likely going to happen very soon. You keep facing big punchers and you're playing Russian roulette. But at 39 y/o you're playing with more than one bullet in the chambers. Smith hits really hard, is fast and very crafty, sets traps himself, is very well schooled, and looks lethal at this weight so he's well qualified to be the right man in the right place and time if indeed age has taken its toll on Beterbiev.