By Scott Gilfoid: #1 WBC Callum Smth (18-0, 13 KOs) will be facing EBU super middleweight champion Hadillah Mohoumadi (20-3-1, 15 KOs) this Saturday night at the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, UK. Smith should have no problems winning that fight because the 35-year-old Mohoumadi is a flawed fighter who hasn’t fought a recognizable opponent since his back to back defeats to James DeGale and Nikola Sjekloca four years ago.
Mohoumadi has been taking it easy since then fighting fodder opposition. Smith thinks that #2 WBC George Groves (22-3, 17 KOs) has a sense of entitlement that he should be fighting for another world title having to earn the shot.
Groves has lost in his only three attempts at winning a world title in losing twice to Froch and once to Badou Jack. Groves is hoping to soon get another world title if he can get past domestic level fighter David Brophy in their fight on April 9 on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs. Charles Martin fight on Sky box Office at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
“I think he believes that because he is George Groves he deserves a shot, although he has had three and lost,” said Smith to skysports.com. “He thinks he should just walk straight into another one and if he loses that, thinks he deserves another one again, because of his name. I think he thinks because he’s been there and boxed for it before, it should guarantee him another shot but boxing doesn’t work like that.”
Well, unfortunately the sport does work like that. It seems that the fighters that have fought for world titles in the past and created a name for themselves despite losing, they seem to get additional chances that other fighters that haven’t fought for a world title previously don’t get.
I think it’s a case of fighters building up a name, and this makes it easier for the sanctioning bodies to give the green light for these fighters to fight for titles without having to do much to earn those shots. I mean, if you Groves’ dreadful 3-3 record in his last six fights, it seems painfully obvious that he doesn’t rate to be fighting for a world title.
“He came back and beat an average fighter [Andrea Di Luisa] and he thinks that should earn him a final eliminator or a shot at the title,” said Smith about Groves. “In my eyes, I think he should go away and earn his way back like I have. I have won an eliminator, I’m fighting a final eliminator, and I will have earned my shot the right way.”
Let’s be honest here; Smith hasn’t done anything to rate a world title shot against WBC champion Badou Jack. I mean, Smith’s only solid win of his career was against Rocky Fielding last November, and Fielding had never done anything to even rate being ranked in the top 15. I don’t care of Callum Smith beats the 35-year-old Mohoumadi on Saturday night. He still will have done nothing to deserve a world title shot against Badou.
Now if Smith would actually take on a live body by facing one of the Dirrell brothers, then I could say he rates a world title shot if he were to beat either of the Dirrell brothers. But without Smith stepping up a couple of levels to face the best in the 168lb division, then I can’t say that he rates a world title shot right now. As such, Smith is the pot calling the kettle black by saying that Groves hasn’t earned his shot at a world title.
They’re both in the same boat. If the World Boxing Council had their act together, they would have Smith and Groves both ranked at around No.50 and No.51 respectively because neither guy has done enough to be getting a world title shot. By the WBC letting unproven flawed fighters like Groves and Smith get world title shots, they make it to easy for the champions to get easy paydays and then retire rich, like we saw with Carl Froch after he whipped Groved twice in a row for big money.
Froch didn’t have to face a dangerous talent like Andre Dirrell in a rematch in order to prove himself in the eyes of the boxing world. He only had to beat an unproven Groves in two fights before he stepped away to retire.
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