By Sean Jones: Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin could go after the winner of the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight tournament, says his promoter Tom Loeffler. Michael Benson is reporting that Loeffler is saying Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) could go after the eventual winner of the WBSS. However, that won’t be until later this year, as the WBSS tournament still needs to be played out before that’ll happen.
By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten Callum Smith (23-0, 17 KOs) will need to do some traveling for his semifinals fight against former 2-time light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer in their fight in the World Boxing Super Series on February 24 at the Arena Burnberger Verischerung, in Nuremberg, Germany.
By Scott Gilfoid: Undefeated #1 WBC Callum Smith 23-0, 17 KOs) easily defeated Erik Skoglund (26-1, 12 KOs by lackluster a 12 round unanimous on Saturday night in the quarter finals fight for the two of them in the World Boxing Super Series at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. The final judges’ scores were 116-112, 117-110, and 117-111. Boxing News 24 scored it 116-112 for Smith. He got the win, but he was less than spectacular in beating the Swedish fighter Skoglund. Smith is lucky he wasn’t fighting Chris Eubank Jr. or George Groves tonight.
By Ajuan Isaac – George: In Some ways, three fourths of Liverpool’s favorite fighting family, the Smith’s – Paul, Liam and Stephen- perfectly embody the characteristics that have been the crucible of British sport for the best part of the last few decades ; hardworking, resilient and tough, but ultimately not quite skilled enough to cut it among the elite.
By Scott Gilfoid: The Saul Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin fight will have a lot of competition for viewers on September 16 due to a couple of important fights taking place on the same evening with Erik Skoglund facing Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders defending against Willie Monroe Jr.
By Scott Gilfoid: TGB Promotions, the promoters for #2 WBC Anthony Dirrell, have won the purse bid for his fight against #1 Callum Smith for their fight for WBC super middleweight championship. TGB Promotions won the purse bid with a bid of $1.603 million. The bid outdid the $1.201 from Don Majeski, who reportedly is representing Smith’s promoters at Matchroom Sport.
By Scott Gilfoid: If Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn gets his way, #2 WBC Anthony Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) will need to travel to Liverpool, UK to fight his guy #1 WBC Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs) for the vacant WBC super middleweight title in the coming months. Hearn is attempting to negotiate the Smith-Dirrell fight but he suspects it’s going to go to a purse bid, which he feels he’ll be able to win.
If Hearn wins the purse bid, he’s interested in staging the fight at Anfield, in Liverpool, so that Callum Smith could fight in front of his own loyal British boxing fans. Smith is from Liverpool, so he would have a huge advantage over the 32-year-old Dirrell if the fight takes place over there.
By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch is picking #1 WBC Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs) to beat No.1 WBO Anthony Dirrell (30-1, 24 KOs) when the two of them face each other for the now vacant WBC super middleweight title.
Champion Badou Jack vacated the belt on Wednesday of this week in order to move up to light heavyweight to get bigger fights than the ones available in the 168lb division. The World Boxing Council will soon be ordering the Dirrell vs. Smith fight for the vacant WBC super middleweight title.
By Scott Gilfoid: #1 WBC contender Callum Smith is waiting to find out if he’s going to get his mandatory title shot against WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack or face #2 WBC Anthony Dirrell for the vacant WBC title. The World Boxing Organization has ordered the Jack vs. Callum Smith fight, and they have a deadline of February 17 to get the fight made.
It’ll go to a purse bid if the fight isn’t negotiated by that point. Badou’s promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr. said they plan on moving up to 175 now that the unification fight against IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale is behind them.
By Scott Gilfoid: IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs) claims he has his focus entirely on his unification match against WBC champion Badou Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs) in their scheduled fight on January 14, but the 30-year-old DeGale’s mind seems to be wondering as he draws closer to that fight. DeGale is now looking past the Jack fight towards bigger money matches against British fighters Callum Smith and George Groves.
DeGale believes he can get all three of those fights in 2017 and win them all. I think DeGale is dreaming. He’ll be lucky if he gets past Badou in their fight on January 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.