Liam Smith: ‘Eubank Junior is limited. I’m massively confident I’d win’

Liam Smith

FORMER world champion Liam Smith is working his way back to another title shot. On May 8 he travels to Ekaterinburg to fight Russiaโ€™s Magomed Kurbanov.

โ€œSpain, Mexico, America. Iโ€™ve fought a few times in America now, I fought in Texas, Vegas, Arizona. I fought in Hermosillo, Mexico. I donโ€™t mind, I like fighting away,โ€ Smith tells Boxing News. โ€œI donโ€™t care where I box, I donโ€™t care who I box. Put an opponent in front of me and Iโ€™ll work to a gameplan to beat him, and Iโ€™m confident of beating him. This opponent Iโ€™m absolutely confident of beating. Itโ€™s a good opponent, itโ€™s a solid opponent with a world ranking and heโ€™s an unbeaten opponent. So itโ€™s a very, very good fight, at a good stage in my career, puts me right back in the mix.โ€

Smith is already ranked third with the WBO and this bout is for their International strap. Victory would push him closer to a mandatory position. โ€œI feel a young 32. I wouldnโ€™t be in the sport if I didnโ€™t feel I had something left to offer,โ€ Liam said. โ€œI think Iโ€™ve got a good solid two years left. I havenโ€™t had many beatings. The Canelo fight I got stopped in, the [Jaime] Munguia fight I went 12 rounds, I never really took a beating in the Munguia fight.”

โ€œThereโ€™s no one in my division where I think Iโ€™ll never beat him,โ€ Smith continued. โ€œI definitely feel Iโ€™ve got another world title in me.

โ€œI think I would have murdered Patrick Teixeira [the former holder of the WBO belt]. Now [Brian] Castanoโ€™s just won it, I think I beat Castano. I think Castanoโ€™s a top fighter but heโ€™s a fighter I do believe I can beat.โ€

Smith doesnโ€™t rule out an eventual move up to middleweight. If Liam Williams, whom Smith holds two wins over, beats WBO 160lb champion Demetirus Andrade that could be of interest.

Liam also has a past with Chris Eubank Jnr. โ€œWeโ€™ve got history, weโ€™ve done a lot of sparring together. I think that can easily be made especially now heโ€™s got Sauerland [promoting him]. We had good spars. To be honest with you at that time, I thought he was limited. But a very, very good athlete. Now I think heโ€™s improved and got better,โ€ Smith said. โ€œHe can throw four, six punches at what his power is 100%. If he hits 70% hard, he can throw six punches at that powerโ€ฆ He doesnโ€™t need to throw two light, one hard, he can put his punches together. I think heโ€™s a fit, strong athlete in that sense. But ability wise and boxing IQ, heโ€™s very limited.

โ€œItโ€™s a fight Iโ€™d be massively confident Iโ€™d win. If Iโ€™m fit and in shape and can do the 12 rounds, Iโ€™m massively confident of beating Chris Eubank. I know while weโ€™re both fresh he doesnโ€™t win one round, until fitness and strength comes into it then he comes into his own.โ€

Liam Smith has had an entire year out but he remains determined. โ€œIโ€™ve got more fire, more enthusiasm, more love for it now, than I have done for the last two or three years,โ€ he declares. โ€œIโ€™ve just got this love for the sport again and this fire in my belly to prove Iโ€™ve probably still got a world title left in me. I donโ€™t know what it is but I feel motivated more than ever.โ€

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