Boxing returns to Merseyside on Saturday as former WBO World champion Liam Smith headlines against former Commonwealth welterweight champion Sam Eggington.
At the M&S Bank Arena – still popularly known as the Echo – Smith will be looking to make a triumphant return to his hometown of Liverpool following an absence of three years when he successfully defended his World title against Montenegro’s Pradoreg Radosevic in April 2016.
It has certainly been a turbulent couple of years for ‘Beefy’, who twice got the better of domestic rival Liam Williams in between losing his World title – and undefeated record – to Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez in September 2016, and also falling short last summer in a bid to reclaim it against rising star Jaime Munguia.
Nevertheless, Smith has declared that he feels ‘reborn’ after amicably parting company with Frank Warren and joining forces with Matchroom, and will be looking to return to winning ways in front of thousands of raucous Scouse supporters against the rugged Eggington; someone who is renowned for his relentlessness coupled with his physical strength and apparent imperviousness to pain, qualities that have prompted Sky-Sports commentator Adam Smith to compare him to Antonio Margarito.
Eggington himself is looking to return to with a vengeance after a potential showdown with Brandon Rios was scuppered by a shock stoppage defeat to unheralded Tanzanian Hassan Mwakinyo in September on Amir Khan’s undercard, and now has another valuable opportunity to spring a surprise against a big name.
Expect Eggington’s ability to absorb punishment and push the pace to be on full display in the early rounds, but for Smith’s superior experience and quality to ultimately shine through as the Birmingham man is halted to the body in the middle rounds.
The undercard also features more Birmingham vs Liverpool action in the form of a special heavyweight attraction between undefeated but relatively unknown heavyweight hopeful Kash Ali and Liverpool fan favourite David Price.
Defeat to Ali would likely spell the end for Price, whose early promise was cruelly derailed by two successive losses to Tony ‘Tiger’ Thompson alongside recent setbacks against Erkan Tepper, Christian Hammer, Alexander Povetkin and Sergey Kuzmin.
In arguably the most interesting fight on the card, a grudge match will also be taking place between undefeated super welterweight prospects Anthony Fowler and Preston’s Scott Fitzgerald.
The former amateur teammates have now become bitter enemies jostling for British super welterweight supremacy, and a shot against undefeated European champion Sergio Garcia – who defeated London’s Ted Chesseman last month – or perhaps the winner of the main event, is potentially in line for the victor.
If Robbie Davies Junior and Tom Farrell also prevail in their respective title fights against Joe Hughes and Philip Bowes, expect them to unify the British and Commonwealth super lightweight championships later this year in what would surely constitute an intriguing domestic ‘derby’ fight.
Former bantamweight champion Paul Butler – who was resoundingly beaten by Manny Rodriguez for the IBF bantamweight championship – and ex-Olympian Natasha Jonas – who was upset by Viviane Obenauf – also make their return in front of a supportive home crowd after a difficult 2018.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan________