Hearn wants Callum Smith to face Badou Jack or Groves next

By Boxing News - 11/08/2015 - Comments

hearn54By Scott Gilfoid: If Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn gets his way, #1 WBC Callum Smith (18-0, 13 KOs) will be facing either WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack (20-1-1, 12 KOs) in his next fight or former three time world title challenger loser George Groves (21-3, 16 KOs). However, without the World Boxing Council’s assistance, Smith will likely need to wait until 2016 or even possibly 2017 before he faces the likes of Badou.

I can’t see Groves volunteering to fight a contender. I can see him volunteering to fight a world champion, but definitely not a mere contender who doesn’t have a huge following as of yet. But Smith would lose to Groves and Badou badly in my view. I’m just saying. Don’t come crying to me when Callum Smith gets royally whipped by those guys.

Smith wiped out a sloppy Rocky Fielding (21-1, 12) by a 1st round knockout last Saturday night in a three-knockdown performance at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK. Referee Phil Edwards stopped the fight at 2:45 of the 1st round after Fielding was knocked down for the third time in the round. Fielding fought like an ape with gloves strapped onto him for the first time in his life last Saturday.

Hearn seems to have lost his senses completely since Smith’s win over Fielding. The wins seems to have planted some ideas into Hearn’s head, making him thinking that just because he beat an inexperienced mediocre fighter like Fielding, it must mean he can trounce talents like Badou and Fedor Chudinov.

Heck, I don’t even think Callum Smith could even beat Groves. He’s too simplistic with his fighting style, and Groves could come over the top with a straight right hand to knock him silly. Smith looked stunned by one of Fielding’s clubbing shots at one point. Believe me, if Fielding can hurt Smith, then Groves would do far, far worse to him.

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“He’s [Callum Smith] in the position where he’s No.1 with the WBC,” Hearn said to IFL TV. “I’d love for him to fight Badou Jack. I think he beats Badou Jack all night long. I’d love for him to fight George Groves. I’d love for him to fight [Fedor] Chudinov. They could make him the mandatory automatically. I think they’ll order a final eliminator. He beats Badou Jack in my opinion, and he beats Chudinov. He definitely beats Chudinov, and I think he beats Badou Jack. I don’t know what’s the best for him. The trainer Joe Gallagher knows what’s best for him. His trainer might turn around and say a quick defense of the British, or the final eliminator might come up, and he’ll say ‘we’ll have that.’”

Hopefully, Smith’s trainer Joe Gallagher will be the voice of reason and talk some sense into Hearn by telling him that it’s not a good idea to throw Smith into the ring with the likes of Badou, Groves, Chudinov and definitely not against the Dirrell brothers. Smith needs more experience before he faces that kind of opposition. If Hearn convinces Smith to face one of those guys right now, then I see his career being derailed in the same way that Groves’ once promising career has been sunk into the mire.

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“This guy has freakish power but congratulations to both fighters for putting their unbeaten record on the line,” Hearn said to Skysports.com about Smith after his win over Fielding. “I believe Callum Smith will go on and win world championships. We’ll be pushing at the WBC convention for him to become mandatory challenger to Badou Jack.”

Having analyzed the Smith-Fielding fight by watching it several times now, I must say that Smith’s power isn’t extraordinary. Indeed, my estimation of Smith’s punching power is that it’s not even as good as Groves. The only thing Smith does different compared to the other super middleweights is he throws a lot of body shots and he’s totally into throwing hooks. That kind of fighting style won’t work against the better super middleweights in the division, believe me. Good fighters know how to negate hooks to the head and body, and Smith only throws hooks. He doesn’t have a good right hand. It’s all left hooks with him.

“We’ve got Martin Murray challenging, James DeGale as the IBF champion and George Groves coming back, which is a fight we’ve always wanted as well. This is big times for Callum Smith in the world division,” Hearn said.

I think DeGale would beat Smith as well just like he beat his older brother Paul Smith years ago. If Hearn makes the mistake of letting Callum Smith fight DeGale, then I think he’ll be crying big crocodile tears after DeGale exposes Smith in knocking him out. Believe me, if a mediocre fighter like Christopher Rebrasse could also beat Smith, then DeGale, Groves, Chudinov and Badou would definitely whip him bad.



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