Preview - Who's Fooling Who? (Smith vs Fielding)

As fight week arrives and the North East looks on, somewhat enviously, toward the hotbed of British boxing that is the North West, it is difficult not to get excited about the upcoming event in Liverpool. The clash between undefeated local rivals is what I would call a perfect storm of a British title fight. You have two fighters with perfect records and impressive knockout percentages (Smith 71% and Fielding 57%) who both believe they are destined for world honours. The last time the super-middle Lonsdale belt was contested in such circumstances it was PPV on Sky Box Office for Groves-Degale. Having personally experienced boxing events recently in Manchester and Liverpool, I know first-hand the atmosphere in that region can be electric. I also firmly believe that this is a 50/50 match up which could go either way and will live up to the hype.

There is a definite local rivalry between the two, although both fighters have remained largely respectful throughout the build-up. The trainers, not so much (more on that later) but the fighters appear to respect the man in the opposite corner. The public perception appears to be that Matchroom Boxing, and in particular Eddie Hearn, favour Callum Smith (17-0) who is the younger and potentially more marketable of the pair. This hype is reflected in the bookmakers odds who have Smith as 2/7 favourite to win (Betway) however I can’t help but feel that former Prizefighter winner Fielding (21-0) is being somewhat overlooked. He is certainly the cruder of the Scousers but packs good power in both hands and has boxed well when required over his career so far. Let’s not forget he is the only man to win Prizefighter by stopping each of his opponents early and is former Commonwealth champion himself. Both men are big for the weight so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the loser move up to light-heavyweight as way of rebuilding confidence, while the victor will certainly be on the cusp of a world title shot (as well as the British belt, Smith’s WBC Silver title is also on the line). Which brings me to some of the quotes from the trainers we have heard. These could be attempts to draw attention away from their fighters but neither trainer has held back.

Oliver Harrison, who trains world contender Martin Murray as well as Fielding, has said that he believes Smith will flourish in the division above but is not a natural super-middleweight. While this can be attributed to the usual mind games that often precede big bouts, it seems a peculiar tactic considering his man’s previous troubles on the scales. “Rocky from Stocky” lost his afore mentioned Commonwealth gold having failed to make weight before a routine defence against tough Ghanaian Charles Adamu. In his defence he seems to have got himself firmly into shape since then and has looked impressive stopping another former George Groves victim Noe Gonzalez and career middleweight Bryan Vera.

The words shared between Harrison and Joe Gallagher have come very close to the line, without crossing it in my opinion, and their rivalry appears to be genuinely personal. Harrison has claimed that Gallagher is not responsible for his fighters’ recent success and that he “talks garbage”. As a retort Gallagher appears to feel confident his rival’s “mask is slipping” and he is feeling the pressure as fight week arrives. As suggested earlier, this could be a tactic on both sides to deflect the pressure from their relatively inexperienced boxers but we will see on Saturday night just how successful these have been.

I see the fight itself as fairly even. I’ve already mentioned I think Fielding is being overlooked by the general media but he will remain dangerous as long as he is in the contest. Both men have genuine power in both hands and can end the fight with a single shot, Smith in particular favouring a left hook to the body. Neither man has much experience of the 12 round distance with the pair only having done so 3 times between them in their combined 38 bouts. Nor have their chins been tested. The general consensus is that this will not go the distance however I would not be surprised if one man (I’m leaning towards Smith) takes a more considered approach and boxes his way to a decision.

Look out for our preview of the chief support; another British title tussle between Scott Cardle defending against Sean Dodd in the lightweight division.

#Smith #Fielding #Gallagher #Harrison #Hearn #Matchroom #Groves #PPV #British #WBC