EXCLUSIVE Callum Smith: ‘There’s a lot at stake’

Callum Smith

CALLUM SMITH is in a curious position. Out in Nuremberg, preparing to boxย Nieky Holzken, a kickboxer adapting to boxing, in a fight he surely will win, a fight he must win. Itโ€™s the World Boxing Super Series semi-final. Victory will guarantee Smith a shot at WBA super-middleweight world champion George Groves.

โ€œItโ€™s a huge fight for me,โ€ Smith said of Groves. โ€œThereโ€™s a lot at stake.โ€

If he doesnโ€™t beat Holzken โ€œthe big fightโ€™s goneโ€. He continued, โ€œItโ€™s not just this fight, itโ€™s what comes after it. It adds pressure, but the whole tournamentโ€™s pressure. I had to win two fights to get to it, now Iโ€™ve got to win one, Iโ€™m one step closer to fighting for a world title, which is something Iโ€™ve wanted to do for a few years.โ€

Smith had been preparing for experienced southpaw Juergen Braehmer, who pulled out of the fight with a virus only on the Tuesday before the Sunday. He has had a long, intense training camp for a southpaw. That goes out the window as he has to adapt to a different opponent, albeit one far below Callumโ€™s level. Smith is not only a former British and European champion as a professional, he was a world class amateur and is a big super-middle as well.

callum smith

He has to resist looking ahead to the potential Groves fight. โ€œIโ€™ve had a good camp. Iโ€™ve tried my best to not focus on that,โ€ Smith said. โ€œJust concentrate on your own fight [but] it is hard not look at them. It is a huge fight. A world title fight and a domestic showdown.โ€

He does not expect travelling to Germany to be a problem, even if Holzken is popular in the arena. โ€œYou just learn to listen to your corner, if theyโ€™re saying youโ€™re winning, youโ€™re winning. Just ignore their crowd and stuff. I just feel my amateur experience will help with that,โ€ he said. โ€œIf it was in Liverpool I wouldnโ€™t plan on leaving it close. Iโ€™d like to win convincingly regardless of where it is in the world. ย If I can win well, Iโ€™ll win well.

โ€œWhen I signed up for the tournament, I knew thereโ€™d be chance Iโ€™d have to travel. Itโ€™s a worldwide tournament. I thought Iโ€™d have to travel the first fight, they were trying to get [Anthony] Dirrell in it.โ€

After defeating Erik Skoglund in their quarter-final, Smith needs a performance on Saturday. โ€œI believe I beat a good fighter in Skoglund. I believe I slightly underperformed and he performed very well. I still beat him but I think people beforehand were expecting me to do an easier job. Because I didnโ€™t, it was a big surprise. Whereas with [Avni] Yildirim, heโ€™d been built up. People were expecting him to give Eubank a fight and when he didnโ€™t it was a shock,โ€ Smith said.

โ€œWhen I was watching [Rob] Brant against Braehmer I was thinking why didnโ€™t I pick him? In the long run the Skoglund fight was good for me. Iโ€™d had a long time out and I had a good 12 rounds against a good opponent, a big light-heavyweight. I think although I got a bit of criticism in the long run that will benefit me than Brant and if I possibly knocked him out.

โ€œI did underperform but I got my career best win after a 10 month lay-off.โ€

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