Artur Beterbiev, ESPN’s top light heavyweight, is the division’s lone unified champion. Joe Smith Jr. and Dmitry Bivol also hold titles. Of course, Bivol defeated boxing’s top star, Canelo Alvarez, on May 7 in Las Vegas. It was a Boxing odds shocker. Now, Smith is on a four-fight winning streak since losing his first shot at a world title against Bivol. Beterbiev is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport and the only current world champion to have won every one of his professional bouts by knockout.
Unified Light Heavyweight Title Bout Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.
| Date and Time: | Saturday, June 18, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Madison Square Garden Hulu Theatre, New York, New York |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN and ESPN+ |
Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. Unified Light Heavyweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Artur Beterbiev | -1100 |
| Joe Smith Jr | +600 |
Beterbiev vs. Smith SBG Odds Overview
At the onset of betting action, Beterbiev opened as a prohibitive offshore bookmaker favorite. Beterbiev is a much bigger brand and proven boxer than Smith.
Beterbiev became IBF champion in November 2017 with a knockout of Enrico Kolling. Subsequently, three fights later, he added the WBC title to his collection. That was when he stopped Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a thrilling battle between two heavy-punching stars. Now, three fights after winning his second title, Beterbiev looks to add a third. Such a record of success has been impossible for gamblers to ignore. Nobody wants to step into Beterbiev at the betting window.
Artur Beterbiev Brings Credibility and Trust to Gamblers
In sum, Artur Beterbiev has a career record of 17 wins and no losses. All 17 of his wins came by knockout. Beterbiev, age 37, is ranked 2nd in the world. Beterbiev is a native of Russia that resides in Montreal, Quebec. Overall, he stands at five feet 11.5 inches tall with a reach of 73 inches and fights from an orthodox stance.
The last time out for Beterbiev was a 9th-round knockout win over Marcus Browne. The Beterbiev retained the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation world light heavyweight titles. The fight took place on December 17, 2021. Previously, Beterbiev scored a 10th-round technical knockout win over Adam Deines on March 20, 2021.
Smith Fights Long Odds and For Recognition and Credibility
Joe Smith Jr, age 32, is ranked 3rd in the world. He has a career record of 28 wins and three losses with the boxing odds. Specifically, Smith has 22 knockout wins and one knockout loss in his career. Smith stands at six feet tall with a reach of 76 inches and fights from an orthodox stance. Correlate that he is a native and current resident of Long Island, New York.
Late on, Smith has won four consecutive fights. He is coming off a 9th-round knockout win over Steve Geffrard on January 15, 2022. It was his first defense of the World Boxing Organization world light heavyweight title. Previously Smith won the WBO title belt with an MD win over Maxim Vlasov on April 10, 2021.
Beterbiev vs. Smith SBG Free Pick
In this situation, Artur Beterbiev commands a huge price. But his body of work and current form justify the lay. Joe Smith is not bac, but he is not in the class of Beterbiev.
Beterbiev vs. Smith SBG Free Pick: Artur Beterbiev.