Watch: Teddy Atlas breaks down the upcoming Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr. light heavyweight clash

Teddy Atlas is anticipating an explosive and highly competitive fight between Artur Beterbiev (17-0) and Joe Smith Jr. (28-3). He believes both light heavyweights carry immense punching power and are capable of emerging victorious.

Beterbiev and Smith Jr. will clash tonight at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York. The fight will be a unification contest for the WBC, IBF and WBO Light Heavyweight Championships. The undefeated Beterbiev currently holds the first two of those belts, while Smith Jr. is the WBO Champion.

Beterbiev, who has a 100 percent knockout ratio, is the strong favorite going into the bout.

Watch the fighters make weight before their bout:

Boxing Hall of Famer Teddy Atlas had this to say about the fight on his YouTube channel:

"It should be a hell of a fight. Body punching, pressure, aggression... I wouldn't be surprised if they both visit the hurt locker, you know, before the fight is over. It might come down to who has the better chin and maybe who's just a little bit better, smarter at the right moment, you know from a technical standpoint. Maybe even who uses their jab better."

Watch the full video with Atlas below:

Artur Beterbiev is coming off a ninth-round knockout victory over Marcus Browne in December 2021. Despite suffering a horrible cut due to a clash of heads, the Russian-born Canadian systematically broke down his American opponent.

Meanwhile, Smith Jr. fought earlier this year against Steve Geffrard, also scoring a ninth-round knockout and successfully retaining his WBO belt.

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Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr. - Who is more likely to get hurt?

Beterbiev and Smith Jr. are widely considered two of the most potent punchers at 175lbs. The pair are also seen as two of the physically bigger fighters in the division.

Beterbiev has never been stopped as a professional but has been dropped twice in previous bouts – against Callum Johnson in 2018 and Jeff Page Jr. in 2014. Smith Jr., on the other hand, has been stopped once. He suffered a fourth-round TKO defeat against Eddie Caminero in his seventh professional outing in 2010.

Most boxing experts believe Artur Beterbiev is more skilled than Smith Jr. due to his amateur pedigree. It will be fascinating to see if the 37-year-old respects his opponent's power and chooses to box on the back foot. The greater likelihood is that Beterbiev will come forward as always and try to add another knockout to his outstanding resume.