Liam Smith will test how much he has left in a depleted middleweight division when he returns against Ilari Kujala on September 4 in Kirkkonummi, Finland.
The 10-round contest at Varuboden Areena ends a 16-month absence for the former WBO junior middleweight champion. No broadcast start time has been announced.
All Out Boxing reported the matchup before Finnish promoter Elite Boxing confirmed Smith as Kujala’s opponent.
The last victory of Smith’s career came against Chris Eubank Jr. in January 2023. He looked past his best during their rematch eight months later, suffering a one-sided 10th-round stoppage, and produced another flat performance in his decision loss to Aaron McKenna in April 2025.
Both defeats took place at middleweight, making it difficult to blame them entirely on weight trouble. Still, Smith spent most of his career forcing his body down to 154 pounds. Those repeated cuts may have taken something from him before he finally committed to fighting at 160.
Returning to junior middleweight would make little sense at 38. The division is packed with talented younger fighters, while middleweight has become a barren wasteland with limited depth. That creates openings for aging boxers who would struggle to secure meaningful fights elsewhere. Tim Tszyu’s move to 160 reflects the same calculation.
This is a reasonable comeback opponent for Smith. The 30-year-old Finn has won all 12 of his professional contests, although his opposition has stayed at a lower European level. He shut out Ken Tore Halland over eight rounds in March before defeating Yousef Adou the following month, giving him two fights during Smith’s lengthy absence.
Home advantage and recent activity favor the Finnish fighter. Smith brings experience from bouts against Canelo Alvarez, Jaime Munguia, Jessie Vargas, and Eubank, but those credentials will not help if his timing, stamina, and punch resistance have continued to deteriorate.
A convincing performance would move Smith closer to larger middleweight fights. Another poor showing against Kujala would provide a much harsher answer about the value of continuing his career.