At the Echo Arena, Liverpool, Callum Smith put in a brutal, punch-perfect performance, blowing away then-unbeaten Rocky Fielding in the first round.
Fielding was caught cold just seconds into the scheduled 12-rounder for the British Super Middleweight crown, eating a solid right, followed by a left hook on the way down. Fielding beat the count, weathered a blistering assault from Smith, and to his credit, did fire back some decent shots.
The 28-year-old gamely came forward, nailed Smith with a right-hand, but got caught with a crunching left hook counter to the temple. Fielding went down for the second time with a minute still remaining on the clock. He bounced back up and let his hands go once more, but it wasn’t long before Smith exploded with a ferocious attack which quickly chopped Fielding down to the canvas.
Fielding bravely returned to his feet, but was clearly on queer street in the torrid opener. The referee quite rightly waved off the contest, making Smith one of the UK’s most cunning, devastating punchers. Smith, 24, now rises to 18 wins, no defeats, 13 knockouts, while Fielding falls to 21 wins, 1 defeat, 12 knockouts.
With Smith about to ascend the rankings of all major sanctioning bodies, we could well see this fella challenging for a world title sometime in mid-to-late 2016. Smith currently holds the no.1 spot with the WBC, meaning a future clash with champ Badou Jack is on the cards. Other options include showdowns with fellow Brits like IBF titlist James DeGale and George Groves.
All of those match-ups are capable of drawing in big numbers, and following a wipeout performance like this, Smith wouldn’t be considered a heavy underdog by any stretch.
Give us your take on Smith vs Fielding in the comments, plus the rest of the card.
