PAUL SMITH will rest until the end of the year before making a decision on his future after three consecutive career defeats to Arthur Abraham twice and Andre Ward.
The Liverpudlian was outpointed by WBO super-middleweight world champion Abraham in September of last year and more recently in February.
In his most recent outing, the former British champion was stopped in nine rounds last month by the unbeaten Andre Ward, in the American’s first fight in 19 months, and after those back-to-back reverses, Smith is not rushing any decisions.
“I haven’t got a clue [about the future] yet, after the Andre Ward fight I’ll be resting, no matter what, until at least the end of the year,” he told Boxing News.
“I’ve got a baby on the way and I’ve had three hard fights, three 12 round camps, it’s been hard on me.
“I’m 32 so I’ll need a bit longer than I normally would, so I’ll have a good rest, let the new baby come along and enjoy the summer with my family.”
With Abraham fighting his long-term rival Robert Stieglitz for a fourth time next weekend, Smith also gave his views on the upcoming world title clash.
“I think Abraham is the better fighter and Stieglitz panics a lot, especially whenever he’s fought Abraham anyway,” he stated.
“Abraham has a very underrated jab and we knew that going in when I boxed him, he outjabs guys that are taller than him and that speaks volumes.
“The battle of the jabs is always won by Abraham and I think that will be a key factor in this fight.”
Smith feels Abraham’s level of motivation will be an important factor in the fight, but is still picking Abraham to win for a third time against Stieglitz.
“With this fight, the fourth time he’s fighting Stieglitz, he’ll know he has the beating of him, it’s whether he’s up for it or not.
“His performance against me was the best he’s had in a long time because he felt he was up against it because of what happened in the first fight.
“I can’t see another one [between them] after this, they’ll be sick and tired of each other. I’m sick of Arthur Abraham and I only had two against him, I’d love a third one but I can’t see that happening.
“They’ll be fed up with each other after this, I think this will put it to bed, especially if Abraham wins.”
