Victory for Turbo – the first Englishman to win a lightweight world title – could set up a few mouth-watering domestic clashes, but defeat would see him slide down a very talented pecking order so the stakes could not be higher. “Trust me, he’s in for a shock when he sees what he’s up against”.
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“That’s the way it should be rather than talking yourself into big fights”.
‘I’ll win because of my experience; my greater amateur background, the level of competition I’ve faced compared to Terry and particularly, because I have coach Diaz.
Liam – who is one quarter of the Smith boxing brother clan – has shown recent improvement in his finishing against world rated opponents (5 ko’s on the spin) to earn his shot and does appear to have the edge in both ability and power.
But global issues forced the Frenchman to pull out, leaving Thompson (17-1-KO6) to step in six weeks ago. Harris won a 132-pound national Golden Gloves title in 1974, when he beat eventual worldwide Boxing Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor on his way to the championship.
But the 26-year-old is confident that he is in the right shape to put on the performance of his life on Saturday, and will draw strength from defending the title in front of his home crowd at the Manchester Arena.
“And while you’re at it, I know that John is a nice guy, a humble guy, and he’s good at drawing, but I’d love him to do a drawing of Liam with his world title belt”.
“All those fighters are more than worthy of fighting for world titles, but I’m confident that I’m the best of the bunch”.
“My preparation has gone brilliantly”.
“I could end up having a tough night on Saturday, anything can happen, that’s boxing”.
Smith is part of the successful Joe Gallagher gym in Manchester and finally gets his chance on the biggest stage after most ringside observers – myself included – had been crying out for him to be stepped up in class.
Thompson has rebounded since the Galarza loss and emerged as a surprise victor of the 2015 ESPN Boxcino tournament, disposing of fight favourite Brandon Adams in the 2nd round of the final, after being floored himself in the opening stanza.
He gives away a little bit in height and reach, but I don’t believe Thompson has the tools to exploit it. Flanagan followed the usual progression to the world title that most British fighters follow, as he has held English, British and European titles on his way up.
“She’s proud of us but I think her proudest moment will be the day the four of us finish”.
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Two of them – Hamed and Calzaghe – are in the Hall of Fame and they were all proven world champions.
