Callum Smith to fight next in May

Callum Smith

CALLUM SMITH, who won the WBA super-middleweight world title in September, is expected to make his first defence of the title in May of this year.

It might not be in Liverpool, with his promoter Eddie Hearn suggesting that he could go to the USA for his next fight.

โ€œTalking to Joe [Gallagher, Smithโ€™s manager and trainer] and the team, looking like May for his first defence. Just determining whether that will be in Liverpool or America,โ€ Hearn told Boxing News.

There aren’t that many superstars in boxing to fight and for the time being hopes of him taking on Gennady Golovkin can remain on hold. “GGG” is not one of the names their looking at. โ€œNot at the moment I donโ€™t think. But I think itโ€™s a future fight and I think the Canelo fight is there in the future as well,โ€ Hearn said.

callum smith

The UK does need new stars to emerge. George Groves, Smithโ€™s last opponent, has retired as has Tony Bellew. Amir Khan and Kell Brook are nearing the end of the line. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are expected to fight in America next.

โ€œYou canโ€™t just think about the next six months. Youโ€™ve got to think about 2020 and if you donโ€™t build them now you wonโ€™t get those Box Office fighters because theyโ€™re not going to be given that star billing. So itโ€™s up to all of them to perform,โ€ Hearn said. โ€œYouโ€™ve got that era thatโ€™s sort of [ending]. Even the ones that havenโ€™t retired, Brook, Khan, Crolla, those guys are in their last two, three, four fights.

โ€œThe same with [Joshua] Buatsi, with [Josh] Kelly, [Anthony] Fowler, those guys theyโ€™ve got to step up and weโ€™ve got to see number one how did we do on the gate, how did we do on the ratings, what was the performance like. All these things.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s going to take a little bit of time,โ€ Hearn added. โ€œThereโ€™s going to be that period where [Joshua] Buatsiโ€™s going to headline, Josh Kellyโ€™s going to headline and then youโ€™re going to see who continues to perform, to impress, to rate and then eventually you find your next Box Office fighter because the one that does is that guy.โ€

Share Page