Boxing kicks off 2024 with a big championship fight between Beterbiev and Smith. We’re previewing the light heavyweight title fight in this article before offering up our three favorite bets of Beterbiev vs. Smith. Want to make money off it? Then keep on reading to get our betting game plan.
- What: Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith
- Where: Videotron Center in Quebec City, Canada
- When: Saturday, January 13
Beterbiev vs. Smith Preview
Let’s begin this preview of Beterbiev-Smith with a look at the latest betting odds. These are available at the best betting sites for boxing, and as you can see, Beterbiev is the big moneyline favorite over Smith:
This fight was originally scheduled for August, but champion, Beterbiev, was forced out due to injury. Here we are five months later as Beterbiev puts up his IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight titles.
Beterbiev is the rightful favorite to win. The Russian is an absolute bully in the ring. What’s most impressive about his resume isn’t even that he’s a perfect 19-0. It’s that all 19 of those fights ended in a knockout (the only reigning world champion with a 100% KO record). Beterbiev is one of the most, if not most, powerful punchers at light heavyweight.
Smith is the complete opposite. Power isn’t a big part of his package. Instead, Smith wins on superb speed and footwork. He’s an excellent counter-puncher and prefers to win on points. He’s 29-1 with the lone loss being to Canelo Alvarez. Smith will have the benefit of being six years younger too.
Best Bets For Beterbiev vs. Smith
There are a lot of Beterbiev vs. Smith bets available, however, we are honing in on three of ‘em. We suggest single bets on each of these, but for anyone feeling “risk on”, a three-leg parlay might be worth taking a flyer on. Here’s where our money is going:
Over/Under 8.5 Rounds
Most people are writing off Smith, and we can see why. His only shot at winning this fight is going the distance and scoring the decision. This makes the over/under a tantalizing bet. Here’s how the odds shake out:
Can Smith last in this fight? Welp, he’ll have to constantly “stick and move.” Smith’s biggest asset is his jab. The reason? The Brit has a stunning 78-inch reach. By comparison, Beterbiev is at 73 inches. So long as Smith doesn’t battle on his back foot, and instead tries to fight in circles, he’ll have a shot at lasting.
To us, this bet comes down to whether Smith can withstand Beterbiev’s body blows or not. That’s where Beterbiev loves targeting the most. In this matchup, it would be a wise gameplan to take away Smith’s biggest asset — his legs and mobility. We’re betting the body blows do indeed break down Smith and he goes down before the 8.5-round mark. Slam the under here!
Moneyline
You already know what we’re betting here. We called a Beterbiev knockdown before the 8.5 round, and we’re sticking with it. We do think this is a mismatch, and that’s more because of how good we think Beterbiev is.
Remember how Canelo mauled Smith in their 2020 fight? Jabs, uppercuts, and hooks — Canelo threw everything and the kitchen sink, despite being seven inches shorter. We’re not saying Beterbiev is as skillful as a then-prime Canelo but he’s way more dangerous at this weight class. We’ll be shocked if Beterbiev doesn’t dominate Smith.
Prop
All right, here’s a prop bet that was too good to pass up. It’s an alternate bet to the over/under which tasks bettors to choose which range of rounds the fight ends. The list of betting options is as follows:
| Outcome |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith to win rounds 1-4 | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Smith to win rounds 5-8 | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Smith to win rounds 9-12 | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Smith to win by decision | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Beterbiev to win rounds 1-4 | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Beterbiev to win rounds 5-8 | +240 | +240 | +240 |
| Beterbiev to win rounds 9-12 | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Beterbiev to win by decision | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Draw | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
Take Beterbiev between rounds 5-8. We’ve laid out our case pretty clearly that this will be one-sided, but at the same time, Smith is fast enough to survive early. But once those body blows start landing, he’ll fade which makes the fifth to eighth round range a good choice.
How To Bet On Smith vs. Beterbiev
Ready to lock in your bets on Smith vs. Beterbiev? You should be if you’ve read this article all the way through. Welp, you can take our bets plus others at any one of the bottom bookmakers. All of these are rated high in our latest sportsbook review so you can’t go wrong with any.
Here’s the kicker though: you can bet on Beterbiev vs. Smith free if you leverage a lucrative sportsbook bonus. Each of the sites below offers one, and the table list our favorites. Deals can range from $500 to $2500 free play — plenty to bankroll your bets on this title fight. Pick any and voila, you have free money to spend as you’d like!
We should mention, there’s a decent enough undercard here too if you want to “spread the wealth” with the bonus money. The co-main event is a WBO bantamweight title bout between Jason Moloney vs Saul Sanchez so the free money can go to good use.
