Callum Smith blamed his loss to unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on 17 months out of the ring and a 5 to 6 week no fight in camp for their clash on January 13th.

Beterbiev loss fallout

In that fight, everything went wrong for Smith (30-2, 22 KOs). He was blown out by Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in seven rounds and looked like an average fighter.

Calum bounced back from that loss, knocking out little-known Colombian journeyman Carlos Galvan (20-15-2, 19 KOs) in the fifth round on November 30th last year.

Next up for Smith, 34, is WBO interim light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on Feb. 22 on the undercard of Beterbiev vs. Dmitri Bivol 2 in Riyadh. If Callum can win this fight against the undefeated Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs), he will be able to earn an eventual title shot against the winner of the Beterbiv-Bivol 2 rematch.

Some boxing fans believe Smith will beat tough 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Buatsi. Buatsi can punch, have a strong chin and are aggressive. In his last fight, he walked through pure hell, defeating Willie Hutchinson via a 12-round split decision at London's Wembley Stadium on 21 September.

Not known for being a bit of a puncher, Hutchinson hit Buatsi several times in the fight just by staying in the fight and constantly throwing shots at him. However, there were times when it looked like Buatsi was on the verge of knocking him out. The shots Joshua gave Hutchinson in that fight were probably too much for Callum and he would have folded for sure.

No more excuses

“I hate fighters who make excuses, but I had 17 months out of the ring, so you think, 'I'm going to get a lot of fights,' but I didn't. Before that I didn't do any sparring for five or six weeks. I didn't prepare that well either,” Callum Smith told Sky Sports Boxing of why he lost to unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13 last year.

“So, the preparation was not ideal. I was out of the ring for 17 months. I really couldn't afford to postpone it again and have two years out of the ring. That was the challenge. He had the belt, he was the champion. You live and you learn.

“I believed I'd get it overnight and I didn't. I lost the fight and paid the price. I came away assessing what went wrong. I believe I did“I've made adjustments, I've improved and I'm a better fighter because of it,” said Smith.

It sure sounds like Calum is making excuses for his loss. Oh well, I guess Beterbiev has something to say about trying to figure out what happened to him after his bump. This is called 'ego protection'.

“I haven't had a fight for five or six weeks beforehand” 🗣️

Callum Smith opens up about his defeat to Artur Beterbiev. pic.twitter.com/4j3CdyWOd7

— Sky Sports Boxing (@Sky Sports Boxing) January 14, 2025