Callum Smith prevails in brutal 12 round thriller with Joshua Buasti to win WBO Interim light-heavyweight title

Callum Smith defeated Joshua Buatsi in a brilliant 12-round battle at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.

On the undercard of Artur Beterbiev’s rematch with Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light-heavyweight title, Smith took the decision unanimously.

Two judges scored 115-113 and 116-112, with the third harshly wide at 119-110.

An all-British light-heavyweight fight, with serious bragging rights at stake when it came to deciding who sits at the top of the domestic pile, it also carried major implications at world level.

With Buatsi’s WBO Interim belt on the line, the winner would line themselves up for an eventual shot at the victor of the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch in the Sky Sports Box Office main event.

Buatsi ground forward initially, clubbing his free fist into the Liverpudlian. But as the first round progressed, Smith began to put punches together well, catching out Buatsi.

He targeted the body but Buatsi took those punches and clipped Smith with a solid double jab. The Londoner had to tuck his elbows in to block the vicious hooks Smith angled in.

In the third round the Londoner broke through with a burst of hard punches.

Buatsi landed a neat jab and a combination from him allowed a languid left hook connect to the head.

Buatsi scraped an uppercut through and smacked his left hook down again. Smith emerged from that onslaught with a bad cut over his right eye.

Smith’s excellent body punching gave Buatsi pause in the fifth round and the Londoner again had to tuck up defensively as the Liverpudlian unleashed another onslaught.

Smith was landing great shots, but he hadn’t repelled Buatsi. The Croydon man continued to come forward, making Smith work hard.

But in the sixth round, Smith’s right cross collided with Buatsi’s chin. He wobbled his opponent and rained in hurtful punches as Buatsi looked to clinch. Smith had rocked him, and Buatsi tried to shrug it off.

However, just as it looked like Buatsi was in severe trouble, he countered with a brilliant left hook himself, that left Smith shaken in his turn.

In the eighth round too the action ebbed and flowed. Smith found a good body shot and then landed another right cross.

Buatsi answered by sliding round him and firing in his uppercut. He evaded some hefty long shots from Smith. The Londoner got his long jab working, and then finished a combination with a left that snapped Smith’s head back.

Coming up to the championship rounds, they had fought each other to a near standstill. Smith had cracked in crisp, clean shots. But in the 10th round Buatsi attacked him on the ropes, smacking punishing punches into the body.

He was breaking through but Smith managed to fend him off with more booming hits.

Buatsi came on strong yet again in the next round, hammering at the Liverpudlian, who’s cut grew worse still.

Smith though landed flush with the right in the final round. It was a brilliant flourish from the former super-middleweight world champion, showing all his experience and determination.

A counter-punch knocked Buatsi’s gumshield out but the Londoner fought on regardless. They met in the centre of the ring unleashing heavy shots.

It was a tremendous finish to an outstanding fight.

Kabayel chops down Zhang

The frenetic action continued in the next fight. Agit Kabayel brought down gargantuan heavyweight Zhilei Zhang, and he had to get up from the canvas to do so.

Zhang started fiercely, firing in his hard southpaw left. But Kabayel regrouped and began to take over, chopping faster punches into Zhang’s trunk.

He closed down the space between them, popping his rights through to the head, consistently jolting Zhang.

Kabayel was swarming over him, but Zhang switched the momentum of the fight when he thrust his left cross into the side of the German’s head and blasted him over on his back.

But Kabayel rose and simply resumed his work. He attacked the body spitefully, and in the very next round smashed the wind out of Zhang, dropping him to his knees where he was counted out at 2-39 of the sixth.

Kabayel won the WBC Interim title, with the belt presented to him by full world champion, Oleksandr Usyk himself.

Ortiz overcomes Madrimov

Vergil Ortiz maintained his unbeaten record as he went the distance for only the second time in his professional career, beating Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision.

Ortiz took over his fight with the Uzbek, backing him up with straight shots. Madrimov shifted round Ortiz, moving off. But the Texan continually applied pressure.

A great flurry from Ortiz finished the ninth round, with the American winging a walloping right uppercut through to the chin just before the bell.

Ortiz stayed busy in the 10th round, keeping on top of Madrimov as he launched his right down to the head.

Madrimov was athletic, bounding round the ring and sweeping hooks over. But Ortiz made sure of the decision, by margins of 117-111 and 115-113 twice.

The Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol rematch is live tonight on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!