WBO World Light Heavyweight Champion Unification Joe Smith Jr. (27-3, 21 KOs) vs IBF and WBC champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) is tentatively scheduled for June 18 in New York.
The fight has not yet been officially announced, but apparently everything has already been agreed. Both boxers are under contract with Bob Arum, so there should not be any special obstacles for this fight. First of all, the speech, probably, negotiations were conducted on the increase in the fee of Smith Jr., who in the end was supposed to receive $ 1.8 million.
In January of this year, Smith Jr. knocked out Steve Jeffrard, and Beterbiev knocked out Marcus Brown in December last year.
The winner of the Beterbiev-Smith Jr fight could face Anthony Yarde in the UK this fall. This duel was reportedly promised by Arum to Frank Warren.
