Artur Beterbiev stayed on course for a mouth-watering fight against Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia after brutally stopping Callum Smith in the seventh round on Saturday.
The former Russian Olympian, now fighting out of Canada, secured his 20th knockout in as many fights to retain his WBC, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight crowns in Quebec City. He was ahead 58-56, 58-56, and 59-55 when the fight was stopped.
Beterbiev floored his British challenger twice in the seventh round before Smith's corner entered ring and asked referee Michael Griffin to call off the contest.
The 38-year-old's latest impressive victory sets up a potential unification bout against fellow Russian and WBA champion Bivol (22-0 with 11 knockouts) in Riyadh later this year.
“I need a fourth belt. It would mean in this category I have done my work,” said Beterbiev, who aims to become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is confident Beterbiev-Bivol will take place in the Saudi capital this summer. “It's not done yet,” he said in the ring after the fight. “But absolutely we want to do it. I'll be talking to my friend His Excellency [Saudi Advisor] Turki Alalshikh.
“I know he wants to do it, but Ramadan is coming. So, about three months after the end Ramadan we'll be ready to fight Dmitry Bivol, probably in Riyadh.”
Smith went into the bout having never been stopped in his professional career but the former super-middleweight champion fell to only the second defeat in 31 fights.
The bout was due to take place last August but was postponed after a bone infection required Beterbiev to have jaw surgery.
Beterbiev, who won his first world title in 2017, defended the three titles for the second time, having stopped Britain's Anthony Yarde in the eighth round last January in London in his most recent outing.
Smith last fought in August 2022 when he stopped France's Mathieu Bauderlique in the fourth round to earn his chance against Beterbiev at the Videotron Center.
Beterbiev started quickly, catching and hurting Smith in the first round, as the bout settled into a rhythm, the patient champion measuring the challenger early.
Smith's right eye was swollen by the third round and Beterbiev landed a powerful right uppercut to the chin as well as hard body shots.
A flurry of punishing punches by the champion to Smith's head in the fourth round stunned the Englishman, whose nose began bleeding in the fifth round, setting up the finish.
A hard right hand by Beterbiev to the side of Smith's head was the stunner that set up a series of punishing lefts to the head and a final right-left combination crumpled the Englishman to the canvas for the first time in his career 70 seconds into the seventh round.
Smith rose against the ropes but Beterbiev quickly landed a five-punch combination to drop the challenger to the canvas again. Smith's corner halted the bout moments later.
When asked why no opponent has been able to go the distance with him, Beterbiev joked: “You know it's because of luck. It's my coach working hard with me, maybe that's why too. But I think it's because of luck.
“We had a couple of strategies. We always have more than one. We need to be prepared for several strategies. He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong. He's good. Thanks to him. But today, luck is on my side.”
Bivol, 33, last fought on the undercard of the 'Day of Reckoning' in Saudi Arabia in December when he eased to a comprehensive points victory over Lyndon Arthur at the Kingdom Arena.
“It was good sparring for me,” Bivol said after beating the Briton. “I'm glad that the end of the year I got this fight and now I see my way to my goal, to undisputed [championship] against the winner of Beterbiev-Smith. I hope this fight will happen in 2024.”
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Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
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