Callum Smith will try again at world level, facing WBO interim light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on February 22 in Riyadh.
Is Buatsi damaged?
It's a huge hurdle Smith has in front of him, challenging big-hitting Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) for his interim belt, but he catches him at the right time. Buatsi, 31, comes from the war with Willy Hutchinson on September 21, and injured him several times in that fight.
Hutchinson isn't known for his power, but he showed what a fighter can do when he doesn't quit and keeps landing. He also showed that Buatsi can be hurt and vulnerable if he gets hit hard enough. Callum had much more power and was able to exploit the cracks in Buatsi's armor that Willy had discovered.
Smith, 34, was knocked out in the seventh round earlier this year by unified heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13. Twelve-year pro Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) put in an effort but was outmatched by Beterbiev, who took him out with a volley of artillery in the seventh.
Smith's power
Some of the short punches Smith landed on Beterbiev would have given Buatsi a lot of trouble as he was swinging for the fences in that fight. Arturo wasn't hard to find with a left hook, but he went through the shots to eventually knock him out.
In his last fight, on Nov. 30, Smith beat little-known Carlos Galvan by fifth-round knockout in a confidence-building fight.
Former WBA super middleweight champion Smith's career has slowed since losing the title to Canelo Alvarez four years ago in a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision defeat on December 19, 2020.
Smith has only fought four times since the match against Canelo, and apparently the money he received in that match allowed him to be inactive. If Smith wants to make the most of what time is left in his career, he needs to try to fight at least three times a year instead of on an annual basis.