PAUL SMITH 31-2 (17 KO’s) has nothing on his mind but determination to win back his British title from George Groves 13-0 (10).
Smith takes on Groves for the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight belts, on the Ricky Burns vs. Michael Katsidis bill, at Wembley Arena on November 5 and is aiming to spoil the plans of Frank Warren’s new signing.
The former British champion is not fazed by the glitz and glamour that surrounds his first fight on LIVE only on BoxNation and has nothing but victory on his mind to recapture the belt he had lost to James DeGale last December, “I want my title back. Regardless of the venue or where it is shown. I wouldn’t care if this fight was behind closed doors. I am just aiming to win this, nothing else is on my mind.”
The match-up was finalized after Smith’s last fight when he defeated Paul Samuels, he called for Groves to meet him next in the post-fight interview and got his wish, “I said after that fight that ‘styles win fights’ and I know I have the style to beat him. He leaves himself open. I feel he is an overrated fighter who had a one-off performance against DeGale,”
“DeGale is an awkward fighter to face. When you get in the ring he surprises you with the shots he throws. For Groves he had the advantage having sparred with him in the past, there was no shock factor. His win against DeGale does not give me any nightmares.”
A victory for Smith could set up a rematch with newly-crowned European champion DeGale but Smith would not be drawn on the prospective fight, “I am not thinking about that at all. At the moment everyone is writing me off and Groves is the one going on to a rematch. My focus is just to spoil his plans. He can talk about DeGale but all I want is my title back.”
Many have spoken about how Smith had not gone into that domestic showdown last December in the right state but the Liverpudlian did not want to make any excuses, “Everything went wrong. From training; where we had to move gyms to the moment I woke up on the day. I don’t want to make any excuses and I will be looking to put it right on November 5.”
The scouse boxer bounced back from his British title disappointment to win his next two fights in style with first round knockouts over Jozsef Matolcsi and Samuels, Smith believes he now goes into this fight in the shape of his life, “I am going that extra mile but I always do. I have never been as fit as I am now. I feel I have a new lease of life going into this fight.”
Smith was ring side when Groves and DeGale met but his initial feeling verdict that the Harlesden fighter should have been the one to come out victorious, “On the night I thought James had won. I haven’t watched it back though. It is next on my list to watch I have watched all the other fights Groves has had. My first thought might be wrong I will have to see,”
“‘Smigga’ believes he can stop Groves but will be preparing to go the distance in his quest to win both British and Commonwealth belts, “Without doubt I can prevent this going the distance. We will have to see on the night, I have prepared for a very brutal 12 rounds.”
James Flinn vs. Adnan Amar on November 12th
London (24 October) On November 12th Coventry’s James Flinn will be in the biggest fight of his career to date at EventCity, Manchester when he challenges champion Adnan Amar for the English welterweight title.
“Fighting for the English title is the biggest fight of my career so far” said Flinn “So it means a lot to me, especially when my kids want that belt bringing home!”
The 10 round English title fight will take place on the undercard of the Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship fight between Tyson Fury and Neven Pajkic, the event is proudly presented by Hennessy Sports and will be broadcast live on Channel 5.
The unbeaten welterweight who is nicknamed “the Force” has been preparing for this fight for over a year now and believes he is ready to claim the title.
“We knew we would meet him at some point this year so have been preparing for him for that long. So training has been hard and we’ve had all sorts of styles brought in to help me prepare.
“He (Amar) is a very tricky fighter he has good foot work and fast hands, but I can match him and beat him because his weakness is that he is quite open. So I’m ready to deal with whatever he brings.
“No way am I going home with nothing. I’m hungry and very determined to show everyone what I’m really about.”
“But like any other fighter here once I have won the English title the ultimate goal is the British title so that’s my aim but I’ll do whatever my team decide.” Added James
Also scheduled to fight on the Nov. 12 card in Manchester is the very talented and exciting, undefeated super bantamweight prospect Kid Galahad of Sheffield.
Joining Tyson, Kid and James will be former British Light Welterweight champion Lenny Daws of Morden, Phill Fury (Lancaster), Jack Perry (Derby), Chris Truman (Birmingham) and undefeated Light Heavyweight prospect Lionell Thompson from Buffalo, USA who will be making his UK debut. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, starting at £30, are on sale from and may be purchased via Hennessy Sports Box Office 01925 755 222, Ticketline.co.uk 0844 888 4402, Ticketmaster.co.uk 0844 847 2500 and online at www.HennessySports.com.
Doors open at 5 PM with the first bout scheduled to start at 5.30 PM.
The Nov. 12 telecast will also be available in Canada to all Super Channel network subscribers.
Go on line at www.HennessySports.com for more information about Fury, his fight vs. Pajkic, or any Hennessy Sports boxers and events.
For Channel 5 information, please contact Lesley Land at the Channel 5 Press Office on 0207 436 3633 or lesley.land@outside-org.co.uk
Williams defeats Norton, Queensberry Promotions Claim a British Title in Second Ever Show
George and Francis Warren’s Queensberry Promotions has its first ever British Champion following Leon Williams’ split decision victory over long time title holder Rob Norton. This marks an excellent start for the brothers who in their first promotion also showcased a fight which many have labelled fight of the year when Paul Appleby met Liam Walsh in October.
Williams claimed the victory to grab the British title from Norton in a close fought bout, which now opens up a wealth of possible title match-ups in a division that many had thought had become inactive and tired. Francis Warren said of this, “It’s great that there are now a host of competitive title match-ups to contest the Lonsdale belt. I’m also delighted with the start Queensberry Promotions has made, both events have been in front of a packed, deafening York Hall crowd and I’m delighted at how everyone from the fans to boxing industry insiders have got behind us.”
Williams’ victory also meant that the brothers have managed to gain a British title earlier in their promoting career than their boxing hall of fame promoter father, Frank. But with Frank’s 30 years in the business and history of working with some of the best world champions over the last 3 decades, George and Francis have some big shoes to fill, but are confident they can carve a long a successful career in the sport. George said, “Both Francis and I have had boxing around us our whole lives, it’s in our blood and we’ve always been huge fans of the sport. With Queensberry Promotions we’re aiming to creating a brand that will have some real longevity and that can become one of the major players in boxing. It was fantastic to help Leon, one of our own fighters realise his dream to capture the British title and we hope to make him part of a whole host of champions in our stable. The long term goal is to build a cutting edge brand and a stable of world class fighters, and one day get to the stage where we are enough of a force in the sport that we can showcase the very biggest world championship bouts.”
The next show from Queensberry is sure to continue to excite the fight fans by showcasing Lee Selby’s British and Commonwealth Featherweight Title defence against John Simpson at York Hall on 18th November. Once again the show will be live and exclusive on the UK’s new home of boxing BoxNation (Sky Platform 456)
Tickets are priced at £40 and £60 are available from the Queensberry Promotions Box Office on 01992 550 888 or www.frankwarren.tv