This Saturday evening, we could be in for a treat.
At the Metro Arena in Newcastle, Liam Smith and Liam Williams go head-to-head in a WBO world super-welterweight eliminator.
The pair have met before, back in April in Manchester, the fight was controversially stopped at the start of the 10th round.
With Williams leading on all three judges? scorecards, his trainer, Gary Lockett, pulled him out of the fight after a clash of heads had opened up a deep cut over Williams eye.
The cut was so deep it required plastic surgery to heal it satisfactorily.
Williams, to this day, is of the opinion that the cut was caused by a deliberate head-butt, something Smith denies.
Ahead of the fight, both fighters have spoken to the media, with Williams remarking,
‘I definitely felt the final butt was deliberate. Smith feinted with the jab to pave the way for his nut. It was no accident.
‘Heads had been bumping all night and you train to get your head into the right place so that if, and when, that happens you incur minimal damage.
‘One million per cent Smith should have been disqualified. I felt very let down by the referee. I feel he robbed me of my unbeaten record and chance to become world champion. I can’t see how he possibly missed such a blatant butt.’
As for Smith, he had this to say,
‘I don’t think you had to be a good fighter to beat me in the first six rounds of our first fight. I was slow, flat and sluggish. I can never be that bad again.
‘What I did to try and make weight during fight week killed me. It was nothing to do with having a slow start by the game plan.
‘Williams had a good start and I couldn’t have been worse. There are 10 fighters in Britain who could have probably out-boxed me on that night.
‘I am right up for the rematch and that is why we are here now. As soon as I start better, Liam won’t get his own way.
‘It is only to go one way and he is going to crumble earlier than he did last time. I am stronger than him and I’ve more heart.’
There?s clearly animosity between the two and we have the prospect of a cracking fight t o look forward to, but who is going to win is the big question!
Anyone care to offer a prediction.
Smith v Williams – The Re-Match
