John Conteh has praised Callum Smith’s victory over Joshua Buatsi as “one of the best of his career” and urged him to follow it by winning a light-heavyweight world title.

At the age of 34, Smith would have been left with few options had he lost to the revered, previously undefeated Buatsi when they fought in February, but he instead recorded his finest result since retiring George Groves at super middleweight in 2018.

Smith held the WBA title at 168lbs until his first defeat, by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, precipitated his move up in weight. After successive victories he was then stopped by Artur Beterbiev in a fight for the WBC, WBO and IBF titles, and he remained on the periphery of the championship landscape while Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol twice contested all four titles at 175lb.

If after one victory for each of the Russians a decisive third fight between them ought to be inevitable, a contest between Smith and David Benavidez, the division’s next two finest fighters, would offer similar appeal. There potentially exists a route to the title Smith insists is driving him to fight on – and one that, in the event of him succeeding, would ensure that he comes to rival Conteh as the finest fighter Liverpool has produced.

The retired Conteh reigned as the WBC light-heavyweight champion while at his peak in the seventies, and asked about the fighter in so many ways following in his footsteps, he told BoxingScene: “Getting up there’s tough. Winning a championship’s tough. Defending it’s tough. Then if you start on a level, or you lose one, you go down a bit, coming back again is even tougher, and this lad’s done that. 

“It’s one of the best wins of his career. Getting up there – you’re young; you’re powerful. That’s tough enough anyway, but you’re on the way up. Then when you get there, defending it’s tougher, and then if you lose, you start going down. To come back – that can be a better win than getting there in the first place. He’s got to get there now to win the title – to regain the title.

“He’s come back, at the top, going down, and coming back against another really top fighter, and that’s just going to lift him. He’s in a position to project himself into the championship again, and win the title. 

“Liverpool lad. Great boxing city – football; boxing. The people there love boxing.”

Smith’s fellow Englishman Buatsi, 32, also in some respects enhanced his reputation with how physical a contest he committed to against the heavy-handed Smith, and the impressive punch resistance he consistently demonstrated. 

He was on course to fight Anthony Yarde, another light heavyweight from London, in the summer of 2024, and could yet be matched with him if Yarde, as expected, wins his third fight with Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn on April 26.

“When two great fighters fight,” continued Conteh of Smith-Buatsi, “just watching them give it everything; mind; body; soul… They’re committed to their trade, what they’re doing, and they come out there, both of them, and couldn’t have done anymore.

“[Buatsi was] undefeated; that’s all going against [Smith], mentally. Physically, he’s coming up against a great fighter who hasn’t lost. The better the fighter, the better the challenge – it’s down to you and how you apply yourself, so you can become greater yourself and win.

“He’s obviously committed himself to winning the title. To get to a position to re-challenge for it again. Forget the winning – it’s up to him giving 100 per cent, and attempting to win.”