By Scott Gilfoid: The recently beaten #12 IBF super featherweight world title challenger Stephen Smith (23-2, 13 KOs) and his brother unbeaten #1 WBC super middleweight contender Callum Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) have both been added to the May 29 card headlined by #1 WBC cruiserweight contender Ilunga Makabu (19-1, 18 KOs) in his fight against #6 WBC Tony Bellew (26-2-1, 16 KOs) in their clash for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title at Goodison Park Arena in Liverpool, UK.
The addition of Callum Smith and Stephen Smith seems to be a move by their promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport to try and attract interest in the card. The main event between Bellew and Makabu could wind up as a huge buzz-kill for the British boxing fans because Bellew figures to lose that fight in spectacular fashion.
I think Makabu is going to poleaxe the 32-year-old Bellew with one of his powerful left hand uppercuts to the head. Makabu isn’t a great boxer, but he’s capaioble of knocking anyone out in the division if he lands his left uppercut squarely. We saw how Bellew folded like a cheap suit in his loss to Adonis Stevenson three years ago in 2013, and I think we’re going to see him folkd even quicker against Makbu on MNay 29.
I wish I could give Bellew a chance in this fight because he seems like a nioce chap, but the talent, chin and power just isn’t there for him. I don’t think it’s in the cards for him to beat Makbu or even come out of the fight with his skin still intact.
Stephen Smith, 30, will be fighting high level journeyman Daniel Eduardo Brizuela (28-5-2, 8 KOs) in a 10 round fight for the vacant WBC Silver super featherweight title. The 10 rounds have got to be some kind of mistake because for Smith to be fighting for the vacant Silver super featherweight strap, he should at least be fighting a 12 rounder, don’t you think. I mean, what’s up with the 10 round thing if he’s fighting for a minor title?
Smith was beaten in his last fight by IBF super featherweight champion Jose Pedraza by a 12 round unanimous decision last April on the 16th at the Foxwoods Resort, in Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA. The fight was a winnable one for Smith until he was knocked down in the 9th round by Pedraza. From that point on, Pedraza was able to dominate Smith with his powerful jab.
Super middleweight Callum Smith is coming off of a 1st round knockout win over EBU 168lb champion Hadillah Mohoumadi on April 2 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Smith, 26, is locked in as the WBC mandatory challenge to champion Badou Jack. However, that fight will need to wait until 2017 until after Badou gets done with his unification fight against IBF champion James DeGale. There are some boxing fans who think Callum will beat either of those guys. I’m not one of them. I see Badou and DeGale doing a number on Callum when the time comes for him to fight the winner of that contest. Don’t get me wrong; I think Callum is a swell fighter. He’s just not as good as DeGale or Badou Jack in my view. I also don’t rate Callum as being as good as Lucian Bute.
Callum doesn’t have an opponent yet for the May 29 fight card, but I’m not expecting him to be fighting anyone good because he doesn’t have much time to prepare for this fight, so we’re probably talking about mismatch city.
“As soon as this event was announced, it was one that I was desperate to be a part of it,” Callum Smith said via ESPN.com. “Everyone in Liverpool is buzzing about May 29. I’m always in the gym, and I don’t want to sit around and do nothing. I should be active at my age and at this stage of my career, and I want to keep winning and keep learning so I’m ready for that world title fight when it comes.”
Everyone is Liverpool is buzzing about the May 29 card at Goodison Park? Why is that? I don’t see any reason to get worked up about this fight card if I were from Liverpool. I mean, I think Bellew is going to get smashed to bits by Makabu, and I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of local fans happy to see that spectacle.
I see the Smith brothers winning their fights, but only because they’ll be facing beatable opposition that they can handle with ease. I don’t see that being the same case for Bellew. I think the fight is going to end badly for him with Makabu stretching him out on the canvas for a knockout.
“I’m coming in on the back of the Pedraza loss, but I don’t feel like my confidence has been dented,” Stephen Smith said via ESPN.com. “I think I’ve done 12 good rounds at the highest level with a top world champion, and I showed that I belonged there.”
I’m not too sure what direction Stephen Smith is going to go now with his career after his loss to Pedraza. He can’t fight him again because he clearly isn’t good enough to beat him. Smith can’t fight Jezreel Corrales, Javier Fortuna, Orlando Salido, Roman Martinez, Nicholas Walters, Miguel Berchet, Bryan Vasquez or Takashi Uchiyama. I see those guys as being too good for Smith as well. I think it would be a very bad idea for Smith to tangle with any of those guys.
Smith is kind of in a bind because if he wants to win a world title at super featherweight, then he’s going to need to go through some of those fighters to get that level. The problem is I can’t see Smith beating any of those fighters. I think Smith should drop some weight and move down to featherweight because he might be able to fight at a better level in that weight class than he can at super featherweight. The division has gotten too good in a real hurry.
Callum and Stephen Smith will do well on May 29, but they also won’t be facing anyone dangerous, which is kind of sad because it’s a fight cad that will receive a lot of attention.