On January 13 in Quebec, Canada, Beterbiev stopped Smith in the seventh round.
“They say that boxing is the loneliest sport because in the ring there is only you and your opponent. On the one hand, this is, of course, true, but on January 13 at the Videotron Center I felt tremendous support. I don’t know exactly how many people came, but there were a lot of you. It was a great joy for me to enter the ring in Quebec.
I would like to thank those who have supported and continue to support me on the Internet. I have read almost all the comments and messages. Of course, it won’t be possible to answer everyone, but I see all your kind words.
And, of course, special thanks to my team, with whom we have once again come all this way. And they did it, it seems to me, successfully!” — Beterbiev wrote on Instagram.