Liam Smith still wants Kell Brook fight

By Boxing News - 05/20/2016 - Comments

liam smithBy Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten WBO light middleweight champion Liam Smith (30-0-1, 12 KOs) can’t seem to let go of the idea that he has to fight welterweight Kell Brook for some reason. I’m not sure why, but Smith can’t seem to focus on fighting the guys in his own division to try and make a name for himself in that eight class.

I guess it might be because Smith is seen as a paper champion in the eyes of a lot of boxing fans, and will likely lose his WBO title as soon as he faces his first quality contender. I don’t know but I think it would be better for the 27-year-old Smith to concentrate on defending his WBO 154lb strap as long as he can rather than pining away for a fight against Brook.

If Smith really wants the Brook fight, then he should vacate his WBO title and melt down to 147 and get in line behind welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr., because he’ll soon be facing Brook for his IBF title once he’s beaten the brakes off Konstantin Ponomarev in an IBF welterweight title eliminator bout.

If Smith could fight Spence to try an earn a shot against Brook, I think it would be good because it would help build up a fight against Brook. but with the way that Smith is doing it, he’s fighting a fringe contender named Predrag Radosevic (30-1, 11 KOs), and then calling out Brook as if he would deserve the fight after making this weak defense. Radosevic’s claim to fame is getting knocked out in four rounds by Felix Sturm in 2013. All he rest of the guys Radosevic has faced have been unknowns that the casual boxing fans have never heard of.

“I’m going to be brutally honest — Kell Brook is the fight I want,” Smith said via ESPN.com. “I would bite your hand off for that fight. It’s a fight that people would love to see. (Promoter) Frank (Warren) made an offer and started the ball rolling. I’m definitely looking for a massive fight later this year as I’m confident I’ve got the tools to beat Radosevic.”

The last time I checked, Brook is in the process of fighting WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas in a fight in late August. Vargas’ promoter Bob Arum is looking to wrap up a deal for the Brook-Vargas fight by next year. Yeah, many boxing fan see Vargas as a weak paper champion who was taken apart by Tim Bradley last year, but he’s got a title.

Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn obviously believes that a win for Brook over Vargas will make him a bigger name, and will start a steamroller effect with Brook getting bigger names and more belts at 147. I don’t see it that way. Brook is not Gennady Golovkin, and never will be. We saw that in Brook’s horrible clinch-filled win over Shawn Porter in 2014.

Brook is the opposite of Golovkin in my view. Unless Brook gives up his IBF title, he’s going to be facing Spence very soon, and once that happens, I see him losing badly and getting exposed by him.

I think Smith needs to stop with the calling out of welterweights and focus instead in going after the top names in his own division like IBF champion Jermall Charlo. If Smith could beat Charlo, I think he would increase his popularity ion a big way. Of course, if he gets whipped by Charlo, it would work against him. But if Smith can’t beat Charlo, his brother Jermell Charlo, and WBA champion Erislandy Lara, then what is he doing holing down a world title?