Callum Smith finally escaping his brothers’ shadow

Callum Smith

What stage are you at with training for the European title fight (which takes place on April 2 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool)?

In the midst of it, got back in after Christmas, had a bit of a break over Christmas and then got back in, the fightโ€™s been announced now, it took me a couple of weeks to tick over but itโ€™s the same as where I left off at the end of the year now. Itโ€™s getting harder and harder as the weeks go on but Iโ€™m getting fitter and fitter as the weeks go on. So Iโ€™m enjoying it.

What do you think of Hadillah Mohoumadi?

Iโ€™ve seen bits of him, I know stylistically what heโ€™s like. I think Joe [Gallagher, his trainer] has watched a lot more. Iโ€™ll gradually watch a few different fights of him. From what Iโ€™ve seen heโ€™s a good fighter, heโ€™s an improved fighter over recent years, heโ€™s on a good run of knockouts and heโ€™s European champion. His record suggests heโ€™s heavy handed and he fights with a good workrate. He should cause some problems that Iโ€™ll have to solve. But I feel Iโ€™m good enough to become a world champion and should be good enough to beat Mohoumadi on April 2.

How pleased are you, youโ€™ve just won the British title but youโ€™re fighting for the European title in your next fight?

Towards the end of the year I heard that I was mandatory for the European. I knew I wanted to go that route, itโ€™s a good title and itโ€™s one we havenโ€™t won in the family. It would be nice to the first to win something for a change. But it is a natural step after the British title, European then world. Too many people jump from the British title to the world title and donโ€™t realise how big the gap is in class from domestic level. [Christopher] Rebrasse was a former European champion, I beat him and itโ€™ll be good to, hopefully, beat the European champion. Win that title and then look to push on from there. Then the plan is hopefully to become a world champion but I feel Iโ€™m doing it the right way, taking it step by step.

So will this be the first title (amateur or pro) that one of your brothers hasnโ€™t won before you?

I think it is the first one. I thought Iโ€™d have that when I went to the Olympics, I thought Iโ€™d be the first one to do that [Smith lost a highly controversial decision in the last qualifier]. But other than that everything Iโ€™ve done, Commonwealth Games medal, Junior ABAs, English title, British title, someoneโ€™s already done it before. So itโ€™ll be nice to win the European and Iโ€™ll be the first to do something.

So finally youโ€™ll be stepping out of your brothersโ€™ shadow.

Yes, every time I take a belt to see someone, โ€˜Thatโ€™s the same as the one Paul wonโ€™ or โ€˜thatโ€™s the same as the one Stephen wonโ€™, everyoneโ€™s already seen the other belts I bring home. Itโ€™ll be good to bring one that no oneโ€™s seen before back.

Looking back on the Rocky Fielding fight, that ended so quickly, did it all go in a blur?

Very satisfying. It did go quite quick. The fight was announced about 14 weeks before it happened and obviously we were in negotiations for a few weeks before that. I kind of had Rocky Fielding on the brain for a long time. In and around the city, everywhere I went, Iโ€™d go for a walk of a night, to buy a few bottles of water and someone would ask about the fight. Iโ€™d be putting petrol in, getting my hair cut, everywhere I went, people were talking about it, it was two Scousers. To have it constantly on my mind, 24-7, for that long, for it then to be over in two and a half minutes, it was a bit weird but it was very satisfying to do it the way I did. I always believed I could take him out like that. Realistically I didnโ€™t think it would be that early but I always knew I could get the win inside the distance. But I couldnโ€™t have written it any better to be honest.

Was there then a lot of pressure on you beforehand?

The fight before that, Rebrasse, was just as important to me personally. If I lost that, it would set me back, the same way a loss to Rocky Fielding would. My aim is to keep winning, remain unbeaten and end up with a world title. So every fight is important but there was a bit more added, the fact that everyone knew him and if I was to lose to anyone, Rocky Fielding would be the last person I wanted to lose to because everywhere I go Iโ€™d be reminded of it in Liverpool. My fightโ€™s been announced now and Rockyโ€™s on the undercard and I wouldnโ€™t have liked that to have been the other way round, my next fight on one of his undercards and stuff, so there was that added pressure. But I feel Iโ€™ve learned to cope with it and thrive off pressure and feel I perform better when Iโ€™m under pressure.

Any danger of relaxing for this next fight?

Not at all. When the fight was announced a lot of people said easy night because he lost to [James] DeGale and stuff. I feel he gave DeGale a tough night, even though it wasnโ€™t the best of DeGale, I think it was when he had that groin problem and stood on the ropes to much. I do feel heโ€™s improved since then as well. Stylistically I think heโ€™s a tough night for anyone. It looks like heโ€™s got a good chin, heโ€™s heavy-handed and he works hard. I do feel Iโ€™m in for a tough night and if Iโ€™m not at my best there could be a slip up. But I never get complacent. I think in pro boxing itโ€™s shown that anyone could beat anyone on a bad night. As long as I work hard with Joe, Iโ€™m sure heโ€™ll come up with a good gameplan and as long as I listen Iโ€™m sure I should get a win and Iโ€™m confident I can look good doing it.

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