"It’s like he’s not human” - Callum Smith’s promoter reacts to Artur Beterbiev’s KO victory over ‘Mundo’

Callum Smith entered the ring on Saturday night hoping to do what Artur Beterbiev's previous 19 opponents could not, defeat the Dagestani powerhouse.

The WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion had been out of action for over a year. Ahead of his clash with Smith, there were suggestions that 'father time' had finally caught up to Beterbiev, who will turn 39 on Jan. 21.

But 'Mundo' proved to be no match for the power of the undefeated champion. Whilst the Scouser had several good moments throughout the fight, the unrelenting pressure and punching power of Beterbiev overwhelmed his opponent.

The fight was stopped in the seventh round following two separate knockdowns, and the Dagestani maintain his 100% finish rate and moved to 20-0.

Callum Smith's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has now shared his thoughts on the result. The Matchroom Boxing chairman heaped praise on Arter Beterbiev's performance, and maintained that 'Mundo' put up a fight worth being proud of.

Hearn said:

"Amazing. It's like he's not human. Almost like an unfair advantage up against him, he's very strong. He was hardly breathing, he's a machine. I thought Callum probably started a little bit too slow because Beterbiev tends to start slow. And Beterbiev was quite passive tonight, because he respected Callum. And he boxed really well. And his defense was good."

He continued:

"There were a couple of left hooks that whizzed by the nose [of Beterbiev]. And he had a good second round, Callum. And also, the sixth-round, I felt he might be finding a little bit of momentum. But the problem is, over the rounds you just accumulate punishment. And the punishment is too much."

Watch the video below from 0:22:

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Callum Smith reflects on his loss to Artur Beterbiev

Callum Smith and Artur Beterbiev went to war in a much-anticipated clash in Saudi Arabia last night. The pair competed for the WBC, IBF and WBO titles, and despite being a +300 underdog, there were many people who believed that Smith would be able to KO his opponent.

But the power and accuracy of Beterbiev was ultimately the difference, as he secured a TKO win in Round 7.

Smith has now shared his thoughts on the defeat, saying:

"I always believed I was the best and to accept that I'm not is hard... But no, the better man won tonight. He stopped me dead in my rhythm, he's good at just touching, touching before you get any momentum... Obviously his touching is a little bit harder."

Listen to Callum Smith's comments below (0:00):