Liam Smith forced out of Josh Kelly showdown

Liam Smith has been forced to withdraw from his bout with Josh Kelly on the September 21st Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua undercard due to a virus, Eddie Hearn today confirmed to BoxingScene.

The 36-year-old from Liverpool, England, was set to meet Kelly in a middleweight 12-rounder but potential replacements for the veteran are now being considered, BoxingScene understands. 

Smith, 33-4-1 (20 KOs) and a former WBO junior middleweight champion, was last seen in a ring in September last year when he was stopped in 10 rounds by Chris Eubank Jr, the fighter he’d knocked out in four rounds eight months previously. 

Smith, who struggled to make weight, looked a shadow of his old self in the Eubank rematch and has subsequently claimed he was persuaded to take that contest against his better judgement.