Callum Smith was taken to hospital after suffering a deep cut above his eye during his victory over Joshua Buatsi in Saudi Arabia.
The former world champion won via unanimous decision after 12 gruelling rounds on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev’s undisputed light-heavyweight title defence against Dmitry Bivol.
Smith had struggled with inactivity and injuries since losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2020, but he rolled back the years to outpoint Buatsi and put himself back into world title contention.
He did not come away from the fight unscathed, though, with a huge gash opening up above his right eye during the middle rounds.
It required a hospital trip after the final bell, while Buatsi was also taken away for routine medical checks as a precaution after sustaining plenty of punishment.
Smith dominated for large parts of the fight but was made to work exceptionally hard by Buatsi, who showed great determination and a granite chin to keep himself in the contest until the very end.
Ultimately, all three judges gave the nod to Smith with scores of 119-110, 115-113 and 116-112 to cap off a brilliant night for the 34-year-old.
Speaking after the fight, he said: “I was the underdog and it got my back up a little bit when I saw people saying I was finished,” said Smith. It was laughable and frustrating at times.
“I felt I had to prove a lot of people wrong tonight but it wasn’t a surprising result for me. It wasn’t the perfect performance. I took a few rounds off towards the end, my vision was a little impaired.”
It was certainly a thrilling bout, with both boxers leaving everything in the ring in a contest which swung one way and then the other.
Sky Sports pundit Jonny Nelson noted: “What a fight between two Brits who really left their heart and soul in there. Buatsi was struggling to find the correct target and was constantly having to react.
“Callum did the right thing, kept peppering, kept varying from head to body, but the toughness and experience of both fighters was class, pure class. The difference between the top of the bill and these two is massive, but that fight was mad.”
It remains to be seen if Smith will chase another world title fight after handing Buatsi the first defeat of his professional career.
He was stopped by Beterbiev in the seventh round last year but could seek a rematch in the near future, while Bivol could be another potential opponent depending on the result of tonight’s main event.
A third option could be an immediate renewal of hostilites with Buatsi, who would surely jump at the chance to avenge his sole defeat if the opportunity arises.
