‘I’m used to being the best’ – Callum Smith drops retirement hint after suffering defeats to Artur Beterbiev and Canelo Alvarez
Callum Smith will contemplate retirement after his second career defeat.
The former super middleweight champion fell short in his bid to dethrone WBO, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday night.
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Beterbiev mauled ‘Mundo’ from the first belt and didn’t let up until he scored two knockdowns in round seven and got the fight waved off by his opponent’s corner.
Post-fight, Smith was battered, bruised and feeling down about his performance, but he was keen not to take anything away from the ruthless Russian who beat him.
“Disappointed. I’m used to being the best,” Smith told .
“I always believed I was the best and accepting that I’m not is hard. It’s a hard one to take, but the better man won tonight. He stopped me getting my rhythm.
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“His power, he’s stopped me, but until I went down, I didn’t feel anything power-wise, but more it’s just constantly touching, stopping you getting any rhythm. But no excuses, the better man won.
“My performance wasn't the best, but he's a good champion, turned up and did what he was supposed to do.
“I don’t think he’s the hardest to hit, boxing ability-wise I thought he was pretty reasonable. Whether he felt anything, I’m not sure. He’s a good fighter, he's a world champion for a reason.”
The 33-year-old went on to suggest he will take some time to think about his future before announcing if he intends to fight on or retire from the sport.
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Smith added: “I’ve always set the bar very high, I’ve always wanted to be the best, I believed I was the best.
“I’ve given a lot of boxing, I’ve not made any decisions, but it’s time to assess the future, see if we’ve got any goals to motivate me to get back into the gym. If not, we’ll see.”
Smith amassed a 27-0 record, which included big wins over Rocky Fielding, George Groves, and John Ryder, before earning a massive fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in December 2020.
The Mexican boxing legend battered Smith over 12 rounds to take his 168lb WBA title and win the vacant WBC strap before earning undisputed status by knocking out Billy Saunders and Caleb Plant in subsequent fights.
If he does retire, Smith can do so with his held high after becoming a world champion and only falling short against two of the very best fighters on the planet.
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