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Three belts and light heavyweight supremacy are at stake when WBC and IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev takes on WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. in a highly anticipated unification showdown on Saturday, June 18 at Madison’s Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
Beterbiev, the only world boxing champion with a 100% knockout rate, aims to win another title against Smith, a Long Island man, who grew up just 70 miles from Madison Square Garden.
Both warriors were face to face in the last final presser prior to this eagerly-awaited combat.
Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs), a two-time Olympian, has spent his nine-year professional career in Montreal, Canada. He has been a world champion since knocking out Enrico Koelling for the IBF belt in November 2017.
He has won five title fights since then, including a win over Callum Johnson and a title unification classic against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019. Beterbiev went 2-0 in 2021, capping the year with a rugged December ninth-round knockout of long-time contender Marcus Browne.
“I am looking forward to the challenge ahead of me. Joe Smith Jr. is a worthy champion, but I am coming to Madison Square Garden to add another world title to my collection,” Beterbiev said. “This fight will bring me one step closer to becoming the undisputed champion.”
Joe Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) gained mainstream recognition with his 2016 knockout of living legend Bernard Hopkins and scored notable wins over Jesse Hart and Eleider Alvarez in 2020. In his second world title bid, he outpointed Maxim Vlasov in a big fight in 2021. Smith successfully defended his world title in January with a ninth-round knockout of Steve Geffrard.
Smith commented: “I am extremely excited and focused on this task ahead of me. Facing Beterbiev is huge. It’s going to be a fight fans will remember forever, featuring two of the biggest punchers in boxing. This opportunity is a dream. Fighting with three titles at stake is one step closer to being undisputed.”
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