Callum Smith
Another Smith is on the scene, and could go further than the three before him...
Monday 17 November 2014 14:51, UK
The youngest of Liverpool’s Smith brothers may eventually find himself outshining his esteemed older siblings.
Callum Smith has devastated the professional ranks with heavy hands and puncturing body shots and is already being mentioned as a future opponent for the vastly more experienced George Groves.
At just 23, Callum has already displayed the in-ring intelligence and brutal punching power that could take him further in the game than his three brothers Paul, Stephen and Liam.
As an amateur, Smith showed signs of his talent by winning the 2010 Great Britain welterweight title and 2011 Great Britain Middleweight title but experienced bitter disappointment at missing out on the 2012 Olympic team.
But it was when the helmets came off that Smith really caught the eye.
Like his brothers, Smith joined up with Joe Gallagher’s gym and made his professional debut on the undercard of Carl Froch’s Nottingham fight against Yusaf Mack. It was pertinent that England’s top super-middleweight topped the bill on a night when a possible successor boxed for the first time.
Smith secured his first stoppage in his third bout, finishing off the job that brother Paul started against Tommy Tolan. He competed on home turf in Liverpool for the first time in his fourth outing and Iain Jackson couldn’t get into the second round.
Vicious
Smith’s punching power visibly improved with each outing and the viciousness of his strikes to the body was eye-catching. Another bout on a Carl Froch undercard – this time the O2 Arena event against Mikkel Kessler – saw Smith get another quick knock-out.
A September 2013 knock-out of Patrick Mendy set a British record sixth straight first-round stoppage, winning him the vacant English super-middleweight title.
He soon added the WBC International super-middleweight belt and in July, he was victorious in his first fight on American soil by beating Abraham Hernandez.
Fourteen straight professional wins with 11 knock-outs has inevitably garnered Smith attention and he is being linked with a future fight against Groves. Smith’s brother Paul was unable to defeat Groves three years ago but don’t bet against the youngest of the clan outshining his fighting family and possibly the rest of the super-middleweight division, too.
Watch Smith v Sjekloca live and exclusive as part of Cleverly v Bellew II, on Sky Sports Box Office on November 22, with Joshua, Groves, DeGale and more, also on. Go to skysports.com/cleverlybellew to book.
