By Scott Gilfoid: #11 WBC, #11 IBF super middleweight contender Christopher Rebrasse (23-3-3, 6 KOs) plans on exposing unbeaten #3 WBC, #13 IBF Callum Smith (16-0, 12 KOs) this Friday, June 26th, in their fight for the vacant WBC Silver Super middleweight title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK.
The WBC Silver trinket is of less importance compared to the move up in the rankings that a victory for the 29-year-old Rebrasse would mean to him if he’s able to whip the stork-like 6’3” Smith.
A win for Rebrasse would likely move him to a top 5 spot in the WBC’s rankings, and put him within a shot of getting a world title fight against WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack.
Rebrasse isn’t impressed with what he’s seen of the 25-year-old Smith in scouting out the British fighter. Rebrasse notes that Smith is a straight up and down fighter that he feels he can get the better of.
“There is a lot of hype around Callum Smith,” Rebrasse said via Matchroom Boxing. “I’m still not sure how good he is. My team and I have looked at three or four fights of him. He has a clean and rigid style of boxing. We intend to expose him before he has a chance to compete at world level. I can beat him.”
Like his older brother Paul Smith, Callum is clearly very beatable. He’s easy to hit, he gives up his height readily, and he’s very similar to former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli in his fighting style.
Callum tries to throw a lot of body shots against his opponents, and he gets in way too close for a guy his height. Thus far, Smith’s throw back style of fighting hasn’t caused him to get beaten, but it’s only a matter of time.
Unless Smith learns how to use his height and reach, he’s going to get thrashed at the world level when he starts fighting guys like Andre Dirrell, Anthony Dirrell, Sakio Bika, Badou Jack and Andre Ward. Those guys would love to fight a tall fighter that tries to throw body shots. That archaic style is going to get Smith knocked out big time when he steps up a couple of levels and starts facing quality guys.
Rebrasse is a pretty limited fighter though, who I rate as more of a European champion type of fighter rather than a top tier world level guy. The World Boxing Council has given Rebrasse a huge break by ranking them in their top 15, but I don’t rate him as a top 15 guy. But then again, the WBC has the unproven Smith at No.3 with their organization, and he’s never beaten anyone good.
In Smith’s last four fights he’s beaten Olegs Fedotovs (19-21), Nikola Sjekloca (28-2), Rafael Sosa Pintos (48-10) and Abraham Hernandez (5-0). Those are very, very average fighters without much in the way of talent. With wins like that, I think Smith doesn’t rate being ranked in the top 5 by the WBC, or even in the top 15.
Rebrasse was recently beaten by George Groves by a 12 round decision last year in September in a competitive fight. Since that loss, Rebrasse has rebounded with a victory over a guy named Istvan Orsos (9-25-2). Obviously not a good opponent, but this guy is the type of fighter that Rebrasse has built his resume on.
About the only thing you can get from the Rebrasse-Smith fight is to see if Smith can do a better job of beating Rebrasse than Groves did. If not, then it’s hard to see Smith ever amounting to anything in the super middleweight division.
“I’m feeling very confident and focused for this fight with Callum – there is no pressure on me as everyone is expecting him to beat me,” Rebrasse said. “We are ready to return to England and cause a big upset beating Callum in his home city.”
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