MATCHROOM ANNOUNCE BIG LIVERPOOL BILL ON JUNE 26!
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn today announced they will be coming to Liverpool on June 26th in a show featuring some of the city's biggest names. World ranked Super Middleweights Callum Smith and Rocky Feilding feature in testing fights, while Heavyweight David Price will fight for the European title. Tony Bellew will also get the opportunity to stay active as he closes in on a World title fight.
WBC #3 Callum Smith 16-0 (12 KO's) will be fighting WBC #11 Christopher Rebrasse 23-3-3 (6 KO's) for the WBC Silver title. Most people will know of Rebrasse for fighting George Groves last year in a final eliminator for the WBC title. Groves won a unanimous decision but had a few uncomfortable moments in the fight as he tired down the stretch. It may be that had Rebrasse carried any power then the fight may have gone differently that night. Groves won and will challenge Badou Jack for the title this year. Callum Smith, the youngest of the fighting brothers but widely tipped as the best, is chasing a big fight with the winner. So far he has shown tremendous maturity to quickly rise to the point where he will be in pole position to fight for the title. I dont see Rebrasse possesing the power to trouble Smith, I do see him as being tough enough to stick around and weather the early storm enough to test the stamina of Smith. It would be a statement for Smith to KO his opponent and i see him doing just that, this time it will come late in the fight.
IBF #7 Rocky Feilding 20-0 (11 KO's) will be fighting gatekeeper Brian Vera 23-9 (14 KO's). Feilding is in a position where he can plan his own route to the title. He is unbeaten and has passed any tests presented to him thus far, however he lacks good names at the top level from his CV and this is a great chance to add one. It's been a long seven years since Vera upset Andy Lee to take his unbeaten record. He has had a tough run of fights and has lost his last three fights to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 2x & Willie Monroe Jr. Those defeats however have come on points and Rocky may have settle with doing the same. This gives Feilding the opportunity to get a respected name on his record, even if he may not be what he once was.
IBF Heavyweight #9 David Price 19-2 (16 KO's) will return to his hometown for the first time since his back to back defeats to Tony Thompson a couple of years ago. He will be fighting for the vacant European Heavyweight title against unbeaten German, Erkan Teper 14-0 (9 KO's). Teper is untested but will surely be up for this fight as Price has yet to answer his critics since his losses to Thompson. This represents his first step up since the losses and Price will be keen to show his hometown fans he is back to his devastating best to claim the title and set his sights on the World title again. Price will score a huge KO in the first half of this fight to throw his name back in to the hat and get people talking about him against Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury.
WBO Cruiserweght #2 Tony 'The Bomber' Bellew 23-2-1 (14 KO's) will have his first fight since beating Nathan Cleverly in their rematch last year. With no big fights on the horizon for now this will be a fight that keeps Bellew ticking over while he waits for his big oppertunity. He will be fighting Lubos Suda 33-9 (25 KO's) in what will be a fight that presents little to no danger. Expect Bellew to win this fight with a highlight-reel KO to leave a good taste in the mouth of his home fans after the disapointing Cleverly fight.
The remainder of the card is yet to be announced but we can expect some top prespects out on the bill. With the British Boxing Board of Control ordering Callum Smith vs Rocky Feilding for the vacant British title I think big performances from each man will get people talking about how big this all Liverpool clash of undefeated world racked contenders could be. Eddie Hearn has certaintly delivered a good show for the fight fans of Liverpool.
