There are some good judges who feel unbeaten Liverpool fighter Liam Smith, the reigning WBO super-welterweight champion, is one of the best largely unknown world champions in the sport right now. Smith wants to prove his worth and at the same time boost his global profile with a big fight. The 27-year-old makes the second defence of his title on Saturday night, when he faces once-beaten Predrag Radosevic at The Echo Arena in his hometown, and Smith is hoping a Canelo Alvarez fight – which has been spoken about as a real possibility in the past – is again offered to him.
Smith, in speaking with The Liverpool Echo, said he very much wants a big fight and how he will take one with the Mexican superstar, so long as the offer on the table is a sensible one.
“People might not know Radosevic, but he is number-six in the rankings and he is WBO European champion,” Smith said. “It’s not a mandatory defence; the WBO ordered the Austin Trout fight but that didn’t happen. It’s a voluntary defence and some people might give me stick because I’ve had two on the bounce, but they’ll soon know, the minute I get offered a big fight I’ll take it. Realistically, looking forward, the closest thing that will come into play is the Canelo fight. I have got to win on Saturday but that fight might be back on the table. Like I say, if they offer me the fight and it’s nothing stupid then believe me, I’m taking that fight.”
Fight fans the world over want Canelo to fight one man and one man only, middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. This particular super-fight has, as everyone knows, encountered more than its fair share of problems and though we can still hope it goes down in September, nobody is holding their breath. So who might Canelo fight next if not GGG – Smith perhaps, at 154-pounds? There might be bigger names for Alvarez, and there might be more attractive opponents out there for him, but Smith is, or was, a fighter Alvarez is interested in facing. The fight was initially offered to the Joe Gallagher-trained talent in January of this year.
Smith, if he cannot get a fight with Canelo, will go after another big name; with the 22-0-1(12) champ talking about the likes of the Charlo brothers, Kell Brook and even Amir Khan as possible fights for him. But first comes 31-year-old Radosevic, 30-1(11). Beaten only by Felix Sturm, the fighter from Montenegro has won his last three fights, including winning the Euro WBO belt. The Smith fight will be Radosevic’s first fight in the UK.
Smith might have to go the distance to get the win, but a “W” looks likely. Then, maybe “Beefy” will land himself that big fight he wants.