Can Callum Smith exploit Buatsi’s vulnerability?

Callum Smith will give it another shot at world level, taking on interim WBO light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi on February 22 in Riyadh.

Is Buatsi damaged?

It’s a formidable obstacle Smith has in front of him, challenging big puncher Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) for his interim strap, but he’s catching him at the right time. Buatsi, 31, is coming off a war with Willy Hutchinson on September 21, and hurt him several times in that fight.

Hutchinson isn’t known for his power, but he showed what a fighter can do when he doesn’t quit and keeps landing. It also showed that Buatsi can be hurt and vulnerable if hit hard enough. Callum had a much better power, and could take advantage of the cracks in Buatsi’s armor that Willy revealed.

Smith, 34, was knocked out in the seventh round earlier this year by unified heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on January 13. 12-year pro Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) made a game effort but was outmatched by Beterbiev, who took him out with an artillery barrage in the seventh.

The power of Smith

Some of the short shots that Smith hit Beterbiev with would give Buatsi massive problems because he was swinging for the fences in that fight. Artur wasn’t hard to land with his left hook, but he walked through the shots to eventually knock him out.

In his last bout, on November 30, Smith defeated little-known Carlos Galvan by fifth-round knockout in a confidence-builder.

Former WBA super middleweight champion Smith’s career has slowed since losing his title to Canelo Alvarez four years ago in a 12-round unanimous decision loss on December 19, 2020.

Smith has only fought four times since the Canelo match, and obviously the money he made in that match has allowed him to be inactive. If Smith is going to make the most of the time left in his career, he needs to try to fight at least three times a year instead of annually.