Tue. Nov 19th, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

Liam Smith’s rematch with Chris Eubank Jr has been postponed, meaning Savannah Marshall’s undisputed world title challenge will be the main event at Manchester’s AO Arena on 1 July.

Smith, 34, has pulled out to “recover from a minor, but nagging injury”.

He stopped Eubank in January and the rematch had already been pushed back from 17 June due to the injury.

Briton Marshall, 32, will face undisputed super-middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn.

Promoters said Smith’s bout with the 33-year-old Eubank “will be announced imminently”.

“I tried training through it because I didn’t want to let anyone down, but my team have decided to withdraw me following the latest medical assessment,” said Smith.

“I’ll heal up now and then the fully-fit Liam Smith will be back later this year to give Chris his second beating.”

“Nobody is more disappointed than Liam Smith,” added the Liverpudlian’s promoter Ben Shalom. “He’s the ultimate professional, but he had no choice but to postpone the bout.

“We’re working on a new date for the fight and hope to announce that in a week or so.”

Marshall moves up in weight to face 35-year-old American Crews-Dezurn.

Both have suffered their only losses to undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields, with Hartlepool-born Marshall beaten by the unbeaten American last October.

Marshall headlined the O2 Arena in London in her fight with Shields and this bout means she will have led cards at the UK’s two biggest arenas, which Shalom said “shows the strength of the women’s sport today”.

The card will also see Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas defend her unified world light-middleweight championship, and Manchester’s Mark Heffron defending his British super-middleweight title title against Zak Chelli.

Light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker and Callum Simpson will also feature.

Source link