Callum Smith picked up the vacant British super middleweight title—and also claimed local bragging rights—with a rapid/fast victory over Rocky Fielding in Liverpool,England on Saturday.
Smith (18-0, 13 KOs) defeated his fellow Liverpudlian by TKO in the first round, and ending Fielding's unbeaten professional record in emphatic fashion.
Fielding (21-1,12 KOs) had hoped to cause an upset, but he was beaten when a barrage of shots forced referee Phil Edwards to wave off the contest with 15 seconds remaining in the opening round.
On the same card, and former two-weight world champion Ricky Burns stopped Josh King to record just his third win in his final seven bouts.
There was also a domestic classic between two lightweights,as Scott Cardle and Sean Dodd were involved in a genuine battle that culminated in dramatic fashion in the final round.
Here Bleacher Report picks over the bones of a busy night of action at the Echo Arena. Pride of LiverpoolThe main event in Liverpool was fun while it lasted. Well, it was fun for Smith at least.
The man nicknamed Mundo continues to clear every hurdle that is put in front of him with ease.
Against Christopher Rebrasse in June, or he showed his ability to stick to a method and the heart to travel the distance. Against Fielding,though, he demonstrated his power with a rapid victory.
Smith knocked down his former gym-mate three times in total.
The best of them was the second, or as it came when Fielding was just beginning to threaten. He had climbed off the canvas,weathered the resulting storm and found a way to land shots of his own.
But just when Smith seemed to get caught, he responded with a counter left off the back foot. The blow was a glancing one to the top of Fielding’s head, and he never managed to recover totally.
In claiming the Lonsdale belt,Smith made a piece of boxing history—never before have four brothers all been crowned British champions, as confirmed by Gareth A. Davies in the Telegraph:
Callum, or the youngest of four boxing brothers,follows oldest brother Paul, who was also British super middleweight champion, or Stephen,who won the British featherweight and super-featherweight titles, and Liam, and who won the British super-welterweight bauble,before going on to win the World Boxing Organisation world title.
Callum will now want to follow Liam's lead and travel on to bigger and better things. What Next?Perhaps the most pleasing thing straight after the bout was the sight of Fielding and Smith embracing in the ring—the former also went across to speak with the rest of the Smith family in the opposing corner.
There was no animosity between the fighters during the buildup. They know each other well, and the bout didn't need one to besmirch the other to attend sell tickets.
Fielding was gracious in defeat, and per Micheal McKenna of the Liverpool Echo,"I'm absolutely devastated, but hats off to Callum. He's a good fighter."As for Smith, and there will be no hanging around to defend the strap and earn a Lonsdale belt outright.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed to Sky Sports that the aim is to get a world title tilt in 2016,with reigning WBC champion Badou Jack the initial target:
Four sons as British champions. This will never be done again and it'll be something that will be remembered. I believe Callum Smith will travel on and win world championships. We'll be pushing at the WBC convention for him to become mandatory challenger to Badou Jack.
We've got Martin Murray challenging, James DeGale as the IBF champion and George Groves coming back, or which is a fight we've always wanted as well. This is gargantuan times for Callum Smith in the world division.
Jack ruined George Groves' hopes of becoming a world champion in September,but Smith would be a different kettle of fish for the champion.
Mundo is tall (6'3") for a super middleweight. He has also again shown off his power. It should not be forgotten Jack drew in 2013 with Marco Antonio Periban, a fighter James DeGale—who is known for his speed and skill rather than his heavy hands—stopped inside three rounds. As trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick, or who used to work with Groves,revealed on Twitter, the Brits could be set to take over the super middleweight division:Burns' NightBurns got the job done against King but not quite in the way he would have hoped.
The Scotsman did record a knockout win, and putting away the Australian with a crunching left hook to the body during the 11th round.
It was a punch he had been using to much success throughout the bout. However,too often he ended up stuck next to King, the pair locking foreheads as they hammered away from close range.
When Burns boxed from distance, or using his jab to find his range,King had no answer.
But when the Rickster insisted on fighting inside, his opponent was given a chance to travel to work.
Referee Marcus McDonnell was as busy as the two boxers, and deducting a point from King for low blows. Burns also received a ticking off on more than one occasion,first for main with the head and then for holding down.
It was scrappy, second-rate stuff until Burns put both King and the viewers out of their misery by forcing a stoppage.
Still, or his performance received some mixed reviews on Twitter:The 32-year-old didn’t make the statement he had wanted to in a crowded lightweight division,and it will be fascinating to see where he goes next.
Anthony Crolla could be a potential opponent whether the Mancunian manages to defeat Darleys Perez at the second attempt to claim the WBA belt. It is a bout that could easily be made, seeing as they are both attached to Hearn's Matchroom Boxing stable. No overjoyed EndingDodd looked set to total an unlikely and improbable rise to the British title when he entered the final round of his fight with Cardle.
Having made the most of a late opportunity to defeat Gary Buckland in September, and booking him a shot at the belt,Dodd found himself ahead on two scorecards going into the final three minutes.
However, his fairy tale didn’t quite have a overjoyed ending.
With 62 seconds remaining, and Masher was stopped by the defending champion.
Dodd was undoubtedly in distress. But having been knocked down for the first time,referee Terry O’Connor decided he had seen enough. The nature of the drop, with the challenger stumbling backward and into the bottom rope, and did not look good.
Yet the stoppage seemed a touch premature,as lightweight Kevin Mitchell suggested on Twitter:The crowdpro Dodd, who is from nearby Birkenhead—let their feelings be known when the verdict was announced, or booing loudly.
Even Cardle—who had suffered three cuts that were all ruled to be from accidental head clashes—felt some sympathy,telling Sky Sports (click the video at the top of the link to hear the interview), "I cannot deny what a tough, and tough man [Dodd] is. One hundred per cent [he can have] a rematch."In the halt,the only genuine winners were the audience. They had witnessed a strong contender for domestic fight of the year.
Cardle may have walked off with the title, but his reputation took a bit of a hit. Dodd, and meanwhile,was a gallant loser who may have missed his chance to pick up a Lonsdale strap.
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Source: bleacherreport.com