Unbeaten Jimmy Kelly Faces Liam Smith in November
In October, Liam Smith demolished a highly capable John Thompson inside 7 rounds. When the fight ended, with Thompson spread-eagle, face down on the canvas, serious boxing heads suddenly began to sit up and take Smith very seriously indeed.
I’ve no doubt the Mancunian’s the real deal, but I do unfortunately have to announce that his next opponent, Jimmy Kelly, scheduled for December 11th on the Andy Lee-Billy Joe Saunders card, is pretty soft.
If not limp. And WBO champ Smith, Boxing Base’s No.9 Junior Middleweight, really could do better. I have to call this one like it is, I’m afraid.
Kelly may be ranked in the WBO’s Top 10 (no comment) and may be unbeaten, but you don’t need to hold a magnifying glass over his record to see he’s a step down for Smith. Maybe Kelly really was the best opponent that could find at short-ish notice for Smith. But still, as a match-up, this thing stinks of mutton dressed a lamb.
Call me ignorant to the ‘small names’ of boxing, but I’m unfamiliar with pretty much all the scalps Kelly’s claimed. Put simply, the combined records of his last five opponents read as 55-64-7, which pales heavily against Smith’s 69-18-2.
For that reason, Lancashire-native Kelly isn’t ranked anywhere close to Boxing Base’s Top 10 Junior Middleweights. And BoxRec would seem to agree, placing him at No.8 among their UK 154-pounders, and 87 overall on the world scene.
But I’ll try and be a tad optimistic here…
Kelly will enter the ring 4 years younger, also standing 2.5 inches taller. So that’s something, I guess. (But I can’t resist the temptation to mention John Thompson stood 3.5 inches taller.) And finally, Kelly won’t be a blown-up Junior Middleweight come fight night. He’s campaigned plenty of times at 154, even 160 a few times. That’s a good sign.
There, I ended up giving the guy a pretty fair shake there in the end. Sold on this one yet?
Liam Smith Targeting Jermall Charlo in 2016
Now that’s a fight that would get chins wagging aplenty. And assuming the 27-year-old gets past Jimmy Kelly on December 11th at the Manchester Arena, there’s no reason it couldn’t be made next year. Especially given Smith has stated he’s open to the challenge, which would present a unification opportunity, either home or abroad.
“One million per cent, I want a unification,” Smith told Boxing News. “In March or May next year, I want a massive fight back at home or abroad. I’d love the Jermall Charlo fight – the chance to unify my WBO title and his IBF.
“That’s a route I’d love to go down. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the [Junior Middleweight] division now that Floyd Mayweather has retired. You’d have to think that his WBC and WBA Super world titles will become vacant soon, although the WBA may promote [‘Regular’ champ] Erislandy Lara to their Super champion, I don’t know what the situation is.
“Maybe I’ll be able to fight for one of those belts. I’d love to go over to America and challenge for another world title.”
What are your thoughts on Liam Smith’s upcoming first title defense against Jimmy Kelly? And that of a tasty potential dust-up with Jermall Charlo in 2016?
