Liam Smith in talks over return to Matchroom – but not against ‘Ammo’ Williams

Contrary to speculation, Liam Smith won’t be fighting Austin “Ammo” Williams in Liverpool on January 17. The former WBO junior-middleweight champion could well see action against a different opponent, however.

Smith, 33-4-1 (20 KOs), hasn’t boxed since losing to Chris Eubank Jnr in September 2023. After dominating and stopping Eubank Jnr in the fourth round of their first meeting, he was clearly out of sorts when producing an uncharacteristically tame performance in the rematch and was halted himself in 10. 

After fighting three times under Boxxer, he is a free agent. The 36 year old had been set to fight Josh Kelly at middleweight on September’s Riyadh Season promotion at Wembley Stadium but was struck down by illness and forced to withdraw just days before fight night. He has since entered talks about returning to Matchroom. 

His first run with the promotional giants came to an end after his victory over Jesse Vargas in April 2022. Eddie Hearn has revealed that although negotiations about renewing their relationship are ongoing, an agreement is yet to be reached. 

“No, I mean, firstly, nothing’s agreed on that date,” Hearn told BoxingScene. 

“Originally, we were looking at January 18th. Obviously, Misfits are going on that date [with Tommy Fury v Darren Till] now so we may go January 17th.

“It won’t be ‘Ammo’ Williams but we want a world-level operator if we do something with Liam Smith. It’s definitely not confirmed yet but we have been having discussions about a possible fight on that night.”

Smith has committed himself to another run but is only interested in meaningful fights. Williams may be off the table but if a deal is agreed, Smith wants to return against a quality opponent. 

“He’s ready,” Hearn said. “He wants a good name – a world-level fight. He’s still a big name in British boxing and we can build a big card in Liverpool as well.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79