Liam Smith left confused and infuriated at the way his fight with Hassan Mwakinyo finished on Saturday night; "He just quit, but I can't understand why he did it so early," Smith said of Mwakinyo; Liverpudlian willing to face either Conor Benn or Chris Eubank in his next fight
Sunday 4 September 2022 18:54, UK
When Liam Smith stood over Hassan Mwakinyo at the end of their fight on Saturday night, he had hoped to be celebrating another memorable victory at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
Instead he was left infuriated and baffled with Mwakinyo sinking to his knees twice and the referee pulling him out in the fourth round at a point when their fight was just coming to life.
Smith was damning in his assessment of his opponent. "I knew he had quit in him. He quit there," Smith told Sky Sports.
"I thought he would quit after taking some stick and being tired and whatever else. He just quit. It's a proper strange one. I can't put my finger on why he done what he done as early as he did."
Mwakinyo had stumbled over in the third round but Smith did not think that had caused his opponent an injury, especially as the Tanzanian attacked vigorously afterwards and connected with one of his best punches of the contest.
"[It was] then he landed a shot, then he went southpaw and then started coming for me a little bit," he noted.
If the manner of Mwakinyo's exit shocked Smith, there was an element of it that didn't surprise him.
"I knew he had that in him from the sparring," Smith said. "The sparring was just over two years ago. He was doing it, but to be fair he was doing it then taking a bit of stick. I was beating him up a little bit.
"I can't see why he done it [last night]. I understand doing it if he was taking a load of stick but he wasn't. He wasn't at that time. But probably knew what was coming."
It prevented Smith from delivering the kind of fight he wanted. "No one can really blame me for that. So I can only really do my job," he reflected bitterly.
Smith hopes promotional team BOXXER will deliver a high-profile opponent for his next fight.
Whether that's the winner of the Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn fight next month, a super-welterweight title challenge or even a move up to middleweight, Smith is prepared to take on anyone.
"They've got to deliver me a big fight so we'll wait and see. [This fight] was going to be over the super-welter limit because Eubank was going to be next," he said.
"If Eubank's not next, I'm a super-welterweight and I'll make super-welterweight again.
"I'll take any options as long as I get options of a decent fight. I feel I'm big enough and strong enough at the weight if that comes [at middle].
"It'll be interesting to see what happens with the titles now, even at 154lbs, it'll be interesting.
"I want to push to become a world champion but if they [Eubank and Benn] come in the picture, I'll take either one of them."
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