Boxing has taken a fortnight to serve up a decent fight in 2024, but the wait will truly be worth it this weekend. The unbeaten Artur Beterbiev takes on Britain’s Callum Smith in Vancouver, Canada for the WBC, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight titles, in what will be a mouth-watering clash on Saturday night.
Beterbiev enters this clash as the man with perhaps the most impressive record in professional boxing. The Russian has a 100% knockout rate across 19 fights, with no man ever able to go the distance against the 38-year-old. Can Smith become the first boxer to do so, or will he become casualty number 20 for the big-hitting light-heavyweight?
We breakdown all the latest betting odds from bookmaker William Hill ahead of this title fight and outline the best bets to make on Beterbiev vs. Smith this weekend.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 12th, 11:30 A.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright betting odds from bookmaker William Hill, it’s clear that Artur Beterbiev is a favourite coming into this bout. The Russian pays just 1.25 for a win, compared to Callum Smith’s 4.00 for victory.
The method of victory odds indicate that the bookies believe this one will end the way every Beterbiev fight has ended so far, with his opponent on the canvas. That outcome pays just 1.50, while the 38-year-old winning by decision is at 5.50, slightly ahead of Smith’s 6.00 for a knockout. The Brit winning on points is considered a long-shot at 9.00, as is a draw at 17.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 12th, 11:30 A.M. (GMT)
With a Beterbiev winning seeming imminent and outright or knockout bets on the Russian not returning much in the form of profit, what’s the best bet to make on this bout? We say it’s one of two routes.
Either, back Smith to pull off a huge upset here and land a knockout at 6.00. The logic here is that Beterbiev is a few days after from 39 years old and at some stage he will slow down. While he still knocked out Anthony Yarde in his last fight, he did look slightly less sharp. You never know when and how fast the decline will happen and if there’s a lower level from Beterbiev in this clash, Smith has the skill-set to capitalise on it.
The other line of betting to consider is predicting when Beterbiev will score a knockout, assuming that’s how this fight will end. We say betting on the Russian to win in rounds 9-12 is a strong wager, considering in recent fights, Beterbiev has been taking longer to finish his man off. Take this bet and you stand to receive a 3.20 return for your troubles.
