ISTANBUL, Turkey – Callum Smith and David Benavidez are still in negotiations for a light heavyweight title fight later this year.
Smith cemented himself as one of the leading challengers in the division back in February when he ripped the WBO interim title from Joshua Buatsi with a thrilling victory on the undercard of the undisputed 175lb title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Bivol later vacated his WBC title after defeating Beterbiev for all the belts, meaning Benavidez was lifted from interim to full champion. With Bivol and Beterbiev seemingly set on dueling for a third time later this year, it has left Benavidez with few options for a standout opponent. Smith is the leading candidate for a title shot after his win over Buatsi, and it had been reported that the pair were in discussions for a bout for Benavidez’s WBC title.
“Yes, still ongoing, to be honest with you,” Smith told BoxingScene. “I think things don't move as quickly as you'd like, especially as a fighter and as fans. You kind of want it to get done in the next few days, but no, there's talks going on. I think it's a fight that definitely is a possibility. I think everything's got to make sense for both sides, for himself and for me. Fingers crossed we've both got a good team, we can get it sorted, and that can be the next fight. Either way, whether it's David Benavidez or anyone else, the goal for me is still the same: to be a two-eight world champion.”
Smith finds himself in a good position, regardless of what goes on with discussions with Benavidez. The winner of the third bout between Bivol and Beterbiev later this year will be ordered to face Smith by the WBO. It is also likely that the winner may opt to vacate in favor of a better offer. There has been talks of Bivol moving up to face cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia or rematching Canelo Alvarez – whom he defeated back in 2022 – and Beterbiev has already bettered Smith, stopping him back in 2022. If Smith was to hold on to his interim strap, there is a good chance he could be promoted to full champion by the WBO.
“Yes, it's an option. If I can't land a Benavidez fight, then there's no world title fight,” Smith said of defending his interim title. “They're all, the other belts, in that [Bivol-Beterbiev III] fight. So an interim fight in the meantime, and then when the rematch happens, then the winner will be ordered to defend against me. So I either fight the winner of that fight for all the belts, or they vacate and I get elevated to full champion, and then I'm world champion, and I can fight whoever the next challenger is. Like I said, it's a bit of a strange position, but a good position nonetheless. I've got to just wait and see how things pan out, and I'll see what the next move is for myself. I've got a great team. I leave it all down to them, and I'm sure they'll come up with the best option.”
The goal for Smith remains the same – become a two-weight world champion by any means necessary. Standing at 6ft 3” the towering Smith is no small light heavyweight, despite spending the majority of his career at 168 lbs, where he won a world championship. Smith was asked if a move up to cruiserweight could be an option.
“I think I would with the right opponent,” he replied. “There's some big lumps up there, but when you look at the champions, obviously Jai Opetaia, he’s a good fighter, he's a genuine cruiserweight, but Gilberto [Zurdo] Ramirez was a super middleweight world champion at the same time as me, and the same with Badou Jack. He was a super middleweight. I was mandatory challenger for him when he was super middle, so naturally, they're not really big people, so I'd fight either of those two most definitely, but some of the bigger cruiserweights at the moment, not so much there. It's definitely an option, but not the minute. The goal is to be a two-weight world champion at light heavyweight.”
