Liam Smith is secure in his status as a prizefighter.
The 34-year-old, rugged bruiser from Liverpool, England, infused new life into his career earlier this year with a fourth-round upset of countryman Chris Eubank Jr. in their middleweight bout that took place at AO Arena in Manchester. Smith, the heavy underdog in that fight, will now reap the rewards of his latest achievement with a contractually mandated rematch with Eubank set for June 17 at the same venue.
In a recent interview, Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) pushed back against the notion that he is over the hill or that Eubank will be able to hurt him in the rematch.
Smith suffered only one stoppage loss in his career, in 2016, when Canelo Alvarez knocked him out with a body shot in the ninth round of their 154-pound title fight. Smith pointed out that, on balance, he has done better than most of his compatriots against Alvarez, who is currently the undisputed champion at 168. Other British fighters who have fought—and failed—against Alvarez include Smith’s own brother, Callum Smith (who went the distance), Billy Joe Saunders (who was stopped in the eighth round), and Rocky Fielding (who was knocked out in three).
“Hypothetically, who’s given me a beating, put miles on the clock?” Smith asked rhetorically in an interview with BBC 5 Live Boxing. “Yeah, people say Canleo, but look at the Canelo fight, I’ve done probably better than any of the Brits. People have gotten stopped and some have gone [the distance] with him. I’ve probably given him a tougher fight than most of the Brits.
“Besides him, who has really bashed me up and beaten me up? Nobody.”
After activating his rematch clause with Smith, Eubank began flirting with the idea of revisiting a fight with embattled welterweight Conor Benn, before signing on to fight Smith.
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.