By: Hans Themistode
Callum Johnson believes he is on track to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion. After defeating unified light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev in a 2018 bout, Johnson started salivating. However, while he got off to a hot start, Beterbiev bounced back, stopping his man in the fourth round.
After three consecutive victories, Johnson made a successful comeback in the title race. And, on January 15, the 36-year-old is looking forward to taking on WBO belt holder Joe Smith Jr.
However, in response to the news that became the norm, Johnson was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. With the pair expected to go head-to-head in less than a week, Johnson’s promoter, Frank Warren, expressed his frustration with the whole ordeal.
Warren told BBC Sport: “It’s a really big shame for Callum. “Hopefully we can bring him back, they might want [reschedule the fight] in late spring. He worked really hard to get his chance.”
Although Johnson’s withdrawal comes at an inopportune time, Smith Jr is expected to remain on the cards and compete with an alternative opponent. The 32-year-old was crowned world champion for the first time in his career following his victory over Maxim Vlasov in 2021. Initially, the New York-born was expected to cross the ropes at the end of 2021 but forced to delay his title defense due to his own wits with COVID-19.
If for some reason Smith Jr wins and passes Johnson, Warren won’t be completely disappointed. With one of his other highly regarded candidates within the required standing gap, Warren would have no problem if Smith Jr. look the other way.
“I would love to do Joe Smith v Anthony Yarde in the UK. WBO says that there is a mandatory deadline and it will be Yarde. He’s number one. Anthony looked good in his final battle against Lyndon Arthur. We brought him down to fight in March anyway. Crossed fingers. We’ll see what happens next week with Smith and how he pulls through. Then go from there. I wanted to keep Anthony busy. We want to get the title of world champion for him. The experience he has gained since [fighting] Sergey Kovalev stood firm in his place. He really gives Smith too many problems.”
