Artur Beterbiev: record, next fight and profile →
Light heavyweight contender Callum Johnson (17-0) was in Las Vegas this weekend to support Liam Smith who lost a hard fought decision to WBO super welterweight champion Jaime Munguia at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
There was string of announcements at the Tuesday's press conference to reveal various aspects connected to Perform Group's DAZN streaming service, which signed a multi-year deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom USA. Hearn has entered into several multi-fight deals with numerous fighters who will appear on the service in the upcoming months.
The fictional Rocky, like Boston light-heavyweight Callum Johnson, was an underdog and one of his greatest challenges was to take on a machine from the Eastern Bloc who was deemed an unbeatable destroyer.
Callum Johnson has been through too much over the last couple of years to be concerned about who stands across from him in a boxing ring. His father, Paul, passed away in February 2016 and with that Johnson would lose a man who he described as his “best friend” and “hero”. Speaking, at the time, to his local newspaper the Boston Standard, Johnson said: “I felt like I could jump out of a plane without a parachute on and he would catch me.”
In the coming months, British champion Callum Johnson (17-0, 12 KOs) will get the biggest challenge of his entire career, when he faces IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (12-0, 12 KOs). Inactivity could be an issue in the contest. Johnson has only fought one round since September of 2016.
Eddie Hearn had more pressing, Anthony Joshua-related business to address to Tuesday, but that didn’t stop him from announcing another title fight. Hearn revealed through his Twitter account that he has reached an agreement for British contender Callum Johnson (17-0, 12 KOs) to challenge IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (12-0, 12 KOs). According to Hearn, whose company promotes Johnson, their fight for Beterbiev’s 175-pound championship will take place October 6 at an undetermined location in the United States.
Promoter Yvon Michel of GYM is a busy man these days. The Canadian promoter is currently in discussions for several potential showdowns in the near future. Michel has revealed that NABF heavyweight champion Oscar "Kaboom" Rivas (24-0, 17 KOs) has received an offer to face former world title challenger Bryant Jennings (23-2, 13 KOs), ranked #8 by the WBO and #13 by the WBA.
Karim Renno, the lawyer for IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, has confirmed to the Montreal Journal that his office filed documents to appeal the recent judgment that came down in favor of Canadian promoter Yvon Michel of GYM.
Since his defeat to Frank Buglioni in December 2016, it seemed that Hosea Burton (21-1, 10 KOs) was hell bent on avenging the only loss of his professional career. Buglioni defeated Burton to take the latter's British light heavyweight title with a final round stoppage in what was easily a domestic fight of the year contender.
As BoxingScene.com reported last week, promoter Yvon Michel of GYM was victorious in his long legal battle with IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev was attempting to break away from Michel, who claimed the boxer was still under a multi-year promotional agreement. In the end, a 10 page judgment in favor of Michel was issued last Friday by the Superior Court of Quebec. Beterbiev is bound to Michel until 2021.