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Philippines, 23 Jan 2025 |
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MATCHROOM BOXING SIGN LIAM SMITH IN NEW PROMOTIONAL DEAL WITH FORMER WORLD CHAMPION PhilBoxing.com Thu, 23 Jan 2025  Huge comeback bout to be announced soon Matchroom Boxing is delighted to announce the signing of former World Champion Liam Smith. The Liverpool Middleweight (33-4-1, 20 KOs) will return to the ring this year – with a major fight to be announced in due course – where he will resurrect his quest to rule the world once again. Fans’ favourite ‘Beefy’ is one of the revered Smith Brothers, the famous fighting family from Merseyside which includes siblings Paul, Stephen and Callum. Collectively they have held multiple championships between them – including the WBO World Super-Welterweight crown that 36-year-old Liam memorably captured a decade ago with a scintillating seventh-round stoppage over Apollo Thompson. Now Smith, ranked at No.10 in the rankings by the WBC, is preparing to fight for the first time since September 2023 – and he is ready to launch his charge back to the top under the guidance of promoter Eddie Hearn. "I’m delighted to be back working with Eddie [Hearn] and Frank Smith,” he said. “I have always had a great relationship with Matchroom, where they’ve promoted my brothers and, of course, myself a few years back. It’s great to re-sign with them and now we’re looking forward to some huge fights together in 2025." Smith stunned Chris Eubank Jr with an emphatic fourth-round demolition in January 2023 in front of a sold-out AO Arena in Manchester. The result of the return fight months later did not go his way, however, and he revealed he will be watching his old adversary closely when he squares off against Conor Benn. "Obviously, I will be keeping a very close eye on the big fight coming up in my division with Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn,” Smith said. "But generally speaking I’m very excited about what the future holds for me, especially with Eddie so closely involved with the Riyadh Season shows and some of the biggest events in the sport. "I’m buzzing to be working with Eddie and Frank again. This is a big year and I can’t wait to get going with Matchroom." Smith has been in with some of boxing’s best having cleaned up the 154 lbs division by winning British, Commonwealth, WBA Continental and WBO Intercontinental Titles before capturing the WBO World Title in 2015, of which he made two successful defences. He memorably faced pound-for-pound great Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez in September 2016 where a valiant performance was ultimately ended by a big body shot in the ninth round. His eventual comeback trail after Canelo saw him overcome Liam Williams in back-to-back fights, which set-up a showdown for the WBO belt against hard-hitting Jaime Munguia – taking the Mexican to the distance for the first time, only to fall short on the scorecards. A devastating eight-round stoppage over fellow Liverpudlian Anthony Fowler in 2021 set up an eventual win over two-time World Champion Jesse Vargas at New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the classic Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano super show in April 2022 – his last outing under the Matchroom banner. Almost three years on, Smith is back – and Eddie Hearn is thrilled to have captured his signature. The Matchroom Sport chairman said: “Welcome back, Beefy! We’ve worked together before, and we’ve always had a great relationship. "Liam certainly needs no introduction. The desire inside him burns brighter than ever before and I’m looking forward to seeing him in some huge fights – live on the global home of boxing, DAZN – that will hopefully propel him towards his dream of becoming a world champion again. "We will announce his return date soon.”  |
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