Bookmakers made Joshua Buatsi a favorite against Callum Smith when they meet in their bout on Saturday 22nd February 2025 at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is currently 1/2 (-200) to win the bout outright, while you can get 13/8 (+160) on Callum Smith if you fancy the small upset.
That means that oddsmakers think there is 64% chance of Buatsi winning while giving Smith a 36% chance.
Buatsi opened as the favorite at 1/2 (-200).
Smith opened at 8/5 (+160).
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which means both fighters will have to make the weight limit of 175 pounds (12.25 stones or 79.55 kg) on the day of the weigh-in.
Buatsi vs Smith Head To Head
Joshua Buatsi steps into the ring with an undefeated record of 19 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 13 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Callum Smith will make his way to the ring with a record of 30 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, with 22 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggest Smith has a slight advantage in power over Buatsi, with a 73% knockout percentage compared to Buatsi's 68%.
Joshua Buatsi is the younger man by 3 years, at 31 years old.
Smith has a height advantage of 1 inch over Buatsi. This also extends to a 4-inch reach advantage.
Both Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith fight out of an orthodox stance.
Buatsi is the less experienced professional fighter, having had 13 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2017, 4 years and 7 months later than Smith, whose first professional fight was in 2012. He has fought 53 fewer professional rounds, totaling 111 compared to Smith's 164.
Joshua Buatsi goes into the fight ranked number 3 by The Ring at light heavyweight.
Callum Smith is currently ranked number 7 by the WBO, 11 by the IBF, and 6 by The Ring in the 175lb division.
Buatsi vs Smith betting form
Buatsi remains undefeated as a professional, stopping 1 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight, he won against Willy Hutchinson on September 21, 2024, by split decision in their WBO Interim World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Wembley Stadium, Wembley, United Kingdom. He was a 2/5 (-250) favorite going into the ring.
Prior to that, he had won against Dan Azeez on February 3, 2024, by unanimous decision in their BBBOC British Light heavyweight and CBC Commonwealth Light Heavyweight championship fight at OVO Arena Wembley, London. He was a 2/7 (-400) favorite going into the ring.
Going into that contest, he had beaten Pawel Stepien on May 6, 2023, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Genting Arena, Birmingham. He was a 3/50 (-1700) favorite going into the ring.
Before that, he had defeated Craig Richards on May 21, 2022, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at The O2 Arena, London. He was a 1/5 (-500) favorite going into the ring.
He had won against Ricards Bolotniks on August 14, 2021, by technical knockout in the 11th round in their WBA Super World Light Flyweight eliminator fight at Matchroom Fight Camp, Essex.
Smith has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight, he defeated Carlos Galvan on November 30, 2024, by technical knockout in the 5th round at Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom. He was a 1/100 (-10000) favorite going into the contest.
Prior to that, he had been beaten by Artur Beterbiev on January 13, 2024, by technical knockout in the 7th round in their IBF World Light Heavyweight, WBC World Light heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Canada. He was a 16/5 (+320) underdog going into the contest.
Going into that contest, he had defeated Mathieu Bauderlique on August 20, 2022, by knockout in the 4th round in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Before that, he had beaten Lenin Castillo on September 25, 2021, by knockout in the 2nd round at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom.
He had lost to Canelo Alvarez on December 19, 2020, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Super Middleweight and WBA Super World Super Middleweight championship fight at Alamodome, Texas, United States. He was a 7/2 (+350) underdog going into the contest.
Who's been more active?
If you think ring rust and activity is a big factor in this fight, Joshua Buatsi has been fighting more than Callum Smith.
Joshua Buatsi last fought 5 months and 1 day ago, while Callum Smith's last outing was 2 months and 23 days ago.
Buatsi's last 5 fights have come over a period of 3 years, 6 months and 8 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 8 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 57 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 11.4 rounds on average.
Smith's last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 2 months and 3 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 10 months and 1 day. In those fights, he fought a total of 30 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 6 rounds on average.
What’s the Latest Time I Can Bet on Buatsi vs Smith Pre Fight?
The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 7:00 PM UTC at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is 2:00 PM EST or 11:00 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 7:00 PM GMT in the UK.
Where Can I Watch Buatsi vs Smith for In-Play Betting?
Buatsi vs Smith will be broadcast on DAZN PPV in both the United States and the UK.
