Yesterday, google news pushed this Blurb to me:
>The WBC has named former champion Callum Smith (pictured) as the new mandatory contender for WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. Smith replaces Marcus Browne atop the WBC rankings after Beterbiev stopped Browne in a bloody war last month. The IBF mandatory contender is undefeated Fanlong Meng from China, who in theory should get the next mandatory shot at Beterbiev because, in the case of unified champions, the sanctioning bodies usually rotate mandatories. Smith is 28-1, having lost his WBA and WBC titles to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in 2020.
Curtesy of Boxing Talk.
I thought to myself, no way is Callum Smith #1 contender at Light Heavyweight, he's a career super middle weight and has fought in exactly 1 Light Heavyweight bout. But it is true, here's the latest updated WBC rankings: WBC_RATINGS_JANUARY_2022.pdf (wbcboxing.com)
How could this possibly be true? The only guy Callum Smith has ever beaten at Light Heavyweight is Lenin Castillo, according to the WBC, he isn't even in the top 40. Boxrec lists him at 73.
Now for what its worth, Ring magazine ranks Smith 6th overall, if you take out the champs like the WBC would, he would be ranked 3rd. ESPN has him 5th, aka, 2nd if you take out the champs. Boxrec hilariously ranks him 1st, above all the champs in the division.
I truly do not understand how Callum Smith can be ranked so high at light heavyweight. Are you genuinely telling me that by beating the 73rd best guy in the division, Callum Smith is now either the best non champion (WBC), second best non champion (ESPN), third best non-champion (Ring) or straight up the single best boxer in the division (boxrec)?
Regardless, if Smith beats Beterbiev, does that mean we'll see Canelo - Smith 2?
DATE Saturday 25th September 2021
LOCATION Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
TELEVISION Sky Sports Box Office (UK), DAZN (Selected Worldwide)
TIME 6pm (London), 10am (LA), 1pm (NYC), 3am Sunday (Sydney)
Main event to start around 4 hours after the times posted
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk
12 Rounds
World Boxing Association Super World Heavyweight Title
International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight Title
World Boxing Organisation World Heavyweight Title
International Boxing Organization World Heavyweight Title
| Anthony Joshu | vs | Oleksandr Usyk |
|---|---|---|
| 24(22)-1-0 | RECORD | 18(13)-0-0 |
| 31 | AGE | 34 |
| 6'6" | HEIGHT | 6'3" |
| 82" | REACH | 78" |
| 240 lbs | WEIGHT | 221.25 lbs |
| Orthodox | STANCE | Southpaw |
| London, UK | HOMETOWN | Shypyntsi, Ukraine |
| 4(2)-1-0 | LAST FIVE | 5(2)-0-0 |
| Klitschko (TKO), Parker (UD), Povetkin (TKO) | KEY WINS | Briedis (MD), Bellew (TKO), Chisora (UD) |
| Ruiz (TKO) | KEY DEFEATS | - |
Lawrence Okolie vs Dilan PraΕ‘oviΔ
12 Rounds
World Boxing Organisation World Cruiserweight Title
| Lawrence Okolie | vs | Dilan PraΕ‘oviΔ |
|---|---|---|
| 16(13)-0-0 | RECORD | 15(12)-0-0 |
| 28 | AGE | 26 |
| 6'5" | HEIGHT | ? |
| 82.5" | REACH | ? |
| 199 lbs | WEIGHT | 200 lbs |
| Orthodox | STANCE | Orthodox |
| London, UK | HOMETOWN | Kotor, Montenegro |
| 5(5)-0-0 | LAST FIVE | 5(4)-0-0 |
| Chamberlain (UD), Askin (UD), Glowacki (KO) | KEY WINS | Puhalo (TKO) |
| Ruiz (TKO) | KEY DEFEATS | - |
Campbell Hatton vs Sonni Martinez
6 Rounds
Lightweight Division
| Campbell Hatton | vs | Sonni Martinez |
|---|---|---|
| 3(0)-0-0 | RECORD | 2(0)-4-0 |
| 20 | AGE | 29 |
| 5'6" | HEIGHT | 5'6" |
| 136 lbs | WEIGHT | 136 lbs |
| Orthodox | STANCE | Orthodox |
| Manchester, UK | HOMETOWN | Montevideo, Uruguay |
Callum Smith vs Lenin Castillo
10 Rounds
Light Heavyweight Division
| Callum Smith | vs | Lenin Castillo |
|---|---|---|
| 27(19)-1-0 | RECORD | 21(16)-3-1 |
| 31 | AGE | 33 |
| 6'3" | HEIGHT | 6'2" |
| 78" | REACH | 76" |
| 175 lbs | WEIGHT | 175 lbs |
| Orthodox | STANCE | Orthodox |
| Liverpool, UK | HOMETOWN | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| 5(5)-0-0 | LAST FIVE | 5(4)-0-0 |
| Fields (TKO), Groves (KO), Ryder (UD) | KEY WINS | Mitchell (TKO) |
| Alvarez (UD) | KEY DEFEATS | Bivol (UD), Browne (UD) |
Other Undercard Fights
- Maxim Prodan vs Florian Marku
- Christopher Ousley vs Khasan Baysangurov
- Daniel Lapin vs Pawel Martyniuk
L
... keep reading on reddit β‘
So are we are supposed to like this couple? Ben is a human trafficker, murderer, wannabe gangster etc. Callum is a moron, a corrupt cop, a previous gunman who shot Mick. I honestly hate seeing them on screen and all these Ballum fans, because you think to yourself, "do they think human trafficking is forgivable then". I mean imagine Dean coming back on the show as a hero. Everyone would be rightfully revolted.
Out of the two, it's weirdly been Callum I hate more. I mean he got together with a man who bullied and blackmailed him into coming out. He covered up so many crimes for his boyfriend and then expects sympathy. At least they acknowdge Ben as having negatives. This 'bad boy' attribute is quite funny because some men irl get labelled that then you look at their actions and think, hmm no, not bad boy, just a scumbag. Callum just comes across as very dim imo and not in the cute way.
Then we have all the sympathetic storylines, like Ben's PTSD which would be interesting to explore. But then you turn around and think "aye, well actually he deserves to feel awful after what he has done". If the new showrunner turns around and retcons the human trafficking then maybe you could view it differently i dunno. Personally, I would split them up, have Ben properly face consequences for his crimes, have Callum die by slipping on a banana or something and clear this mess up.
They can get gay characters right tbf when they want to. I love Eve and Johnny Carter (first one) was amazing.
Say what you will about Claudia, I think she still cares about Callum a lot. And while she might care more about her father, pretty sure she still loves Callum, to the point of choosing to tell the truth instead of kissing him. Now if thatβs true, imagine the culmination of a hypothetical arc, where she is defending her father or something, and is forced to have a mage duel with Callum. Awesome fight sequence aside, the emotional weight behind that fight would be insane, especially if she finds out about Rayla, maybe even right there and then. Maybe even the fight ensues BECAUSE she finds out. I think βlosingβ Callum as a love interest for good, might just be the thing that pushes her over the brink. Honestly, I might want to see their fight over Avarosses, though he still has 4 seasons to make us truly hate him. I mean the saga might go in a completely different route, but until then I can keep working on scarring scenarios in my head
not sure if this qualifies as a meme, but its the only flair i thought might fit
here's a little scene i thought up earlier
Katara, watching reincarnated Sokka (Callum) from heaven:
"MOM! SOKKA'S UP WITH THE MOON GIRLFRIEND SH*T AGAIN!"
