Highlights!
- Artur Beterbiev returns to defend his three light heavyweight belts against former super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith in Montreal!
- That’s about it, actually.
- Folks, it’s January. Just be glad we have fights every Saturday. Sometimes we don’t have anything until the third weekend of the month.
Thursday, Jan. 11
ESPN+ and Social Media, 11:00 am ET, Beterbiev vs Smith press conference.
Friday, Jan. 12
ESPN+ and Social Media, Noon ET, Beterbiev vs Smith weigh-in.
Saturday, Jan. 13
ESPN+, 5:30 pm ET, Beterbiev vs Smith prelims. That’s the listed prelims start time at the moment, anyway. I’m guessing Christian Mbilli, an ESPN+ regular on these Quebec shows, will be fighting on this portion. He’s facing Rohan Murdock. The rest is Quebec prospects/“prospects.”
ESPN and ESPN+, 10:00 pm ET, Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith. Beterbiev’s WBC, IBF, and WBO belts are on the line here in a fight that has been delayed, a familiar thing with Beterbiev. Smith is the WBC mandatory, but as mandatory challengers go, a pretty good one, an actual contender in a thin division. Jason Moloney will defend his WBO bantamweight title against Saul Sanchez, which might be a sneaky good matchup, Sanchez has a couple losses but so does Moloney, and when Sanchez is on, he’s a good fighter. BLH will have live updates and results.