Recently, Matchroom Boxing announced that Callum Smith will be making his return to the ring. Smith is set to return to action on Saturday, November 30, as part of the card headlined by Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai at the BP Pulse Arena in Birmingham, England.
In a recent interview with Boxing News, Callum Smith confirmed that he is still working with Buddy McGirt. However, he noted that the renowned trainer might not be in his corner on November 30.
Smith, 34, a former super middleweight world champion, is returning to the ring following his January defeat to Artur Beterbiev. That loss marked a challenging moment in the British fighter’s career, as it was his second professional defeat.
Preparation for his comeback, against an opponent yet to be confirmed, has been led by his brother Stephen, who has taken on the role of head trainer.
This adjustment comes after Callum Smith received short notice of the fight just a few weeks ago.
The tight schedule and limited time prevented Smith from traveling to the United States to train with McGirt. Similarly, there was no opportunity for the Hall of Fame trainer to travel to England to oversee the camp.
Despite these logistical challenges, Callum Smith emphasized that his relationship with McGirt remains strong.
The boxer stated that he plans to continue working with McGirt in the long term, despite their first fight together ending in a loss to Beterbiev.
During his interview with Boxing News, Callum Smith explained his current situation and reassured that there has been no fallout with McGirt.
“There’s no split with me and Buddy, but I didn’t really know this fight was happening. I wasn’t in camp, so I wasn’t going to go over to America without a date,” Smith said.
The Liverpool native pointed out that the fight confirmation came late, complicating arrangements with McGirt.
“It’s only just been made now, so I’ll speak to him about the situation for this fight,”* Smith added.
Smith highlighted his brother Stephen’s significant role in his recent preparation but made it clear that he has no plans to part ways with McGirt in the future.
“Buddy and my brother Stephen, who has helped me a lot over the last few months—I’ll be doing bits with both of them, but there’s no split from Buddy; it’s just circumstance,” Smith noted.
Smith admitted that he has not yet decided whether McGirt will be in his corner on November 30.
“Buddy might be in the corner for this one still. I’ll see whether it’s worth bringing him over or not. There’s no decision made on that yet,” Smith concluded.
The fight in Birmingham will mark Smith’s first step in his attempt to return to winning ways.
His last outing saw him fall to the fearsome undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev, who stopped him via seventh-round technical knockout.
Now, with his team temporarily divided due to logistical reasons, Callum Smith is preparing to prove in his comeback that he remains an elite contender in world boxing.
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