The return of Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr at the AO Arena in Manchester has been postponed due to injury, so Franchon Crews-Dezurn and Savannah Marshall will now headline the event on Saturday July 1 live. Sky Sports.
The July 1 date change came at the request of Smith, who wanted to postpone his training camp by two weeks to allow for the healing of a minor injury.
With Eubank Jr agreeing to the move, the two fighters are due to return to the AO Manchester Arena in July, almost five months to the day since January’s four-round shootout that ended with Smith winning with a stoppage in the first minute of the fourth. around.
However, Smith was unable to recover from the injury, leaving the 34-year-old frustrated and happy that the event will go ahead with Savannah Marshall’s super-middleweight world title fight against Franchon Crews-Dezurn headlining the event – live. on Sky Sports.
“I asked BOXXER to put one main card on the pay-per-view with Chris Eubank Jr and they gave a lot, so I’m glad that BOXXER is keeping one card – a lot of promoters wouldn’t do that, I think,” said Smith.
“I’ve been saying that a fit Liam Smith would beat Chris Eubank Jr every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I tried to train because I didn’t want to upset anyone but my team decided to withdraw me following the latest medical tests.
“I will recover now and a very fit Liam Smith will be back later this year to beat Chris again.”
Promoter Ben Shalom said: “No one is more disappointed than Liam Smith. He is a very successful fighter but he respects his team’s decision to delay the fight. We are working on a new date for the fight and hope to announce it in a week or so. Meanwhile, we have Big fights happening in Manchester on July 1.”
Ben Whittaker has announced that he will fight on July 1 and wants to fight Joshua Buatsi.
The rest of the bill will remain the same with rising light-heavyweight star Ben Whittaker returning with Callum Simpson.
The title fight is still in place, and it’s the oldest international series in the middle Marshall Undisputed super-middleweight winner Crews-Dezurn for the unified WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF world titles at 168lb.
It will be Marshall’s second fight in a row after her epic fight with Claressa Shields at the O2 Arena last year.
That means Marshall is on course to set a record-breaking double this summer as he follows up October’s sell-out run at London’s O2 – the UK’s biggest arena – by headlining a sold-out show at the AO Arena Manchester – in the UK. the second main square.
She became the first female boxer to dominate two of the UK’s biggest boxing arenas in back-to-back events.
Savannah Marshall admits her loss to Claressa Shields was ‘tough to take’, but is determined to bounce back strongly in her next fight against Franchon Crews-Dezurn.
There will also be an international bout on the bill where 2022 Boxer of the Year Natasha Jonas will defend her joint WBO, WBC and IBF super-welterweight titles.
The contestant will be announced in the coming days.
British super-middleweight champion Mark Heffron – Jonas’ Champs Camp player under two-year trainer Joe Gallagher – will defend the prestigious Lonsdale Belt. Zak Chelli rather than a crowd pleaser.
“Savannah Marshall leading two major UK arenas in back-to-back fights is the first time for a female fighter and shows the strength of the women’s sport today. She is fighting for an undisputed world super-middleweight title against USA’s Franchon Crews-Dezurn – a fight that could headline the arena.” anywhere in the world,” said Shalom.
“Manchester’s Mark Heffron defending his British title against Zak Chelli, Natasha Jonas putting her world titles on the line, including veteran talent like Ben Whittaker and Callum Simpson – this is a card full of great fights and we’re really excited.”
Fans will also be able to enjoy a drink at BOXXER. They have arranged free food and drink vouchers for everyone in attendance at Manchester’s AO Arena on July 1, as well as advanced access and discounted tickets to the rescheduled Smith vs Eubank II event.
“We understand that many fans are disappointed to hear that the Smith-Eubank rematch has been cancelled, so we have arranged a free voucher for every fan in the venue to buy us a drink on fight night,” Shalom said. plus they will receive access to Smith vs Eubank II tickets for the new date when they are announced, as well as discounts on those tickets. “
All tickets remain valid for the July 1 event, which is still available Sky Sportsand full refunds for fans unable to attend.