Liam Smith coy over potential domestic clashes with Kell Brook or Amir Khan

Liam Smith is not focused on future fights against fellow Britons Kell Brook and Amir Khan following his ninth-round knockout defeat to Saul '˜Canelo' Alvarez in Texas on Saturday night.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Sep 2016, 21:33 BST
Updated 5th Oct 2016, 14:33 BST
Liam Smith lays on the mat as referee Luis Pavon calls the knock out by Canelo Alvarez during the ninth roundLiam Smith lays on the mat as referee Luis Pavon calls the knock out by Canelo Alvarez during the ninth round
Liam Smith lays on the mat as referee Luis Pavon calls the knock out by Canelo Alvarez during the ninth round

The Liverpudlian, fighting on American soil for the first time, lost his WBO light-middleweight title after Alvarez ended the fight with a punishing body shot, which left Smith writhing around in agony as he failed to beat the count.

With Khan and Brook moving up two weight classes and failing in their bids to dethrone Alvarez and middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin respectively, spirited showings by all three men looked to have set up potential domestic clashes back in the United Kingdom.

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But the previously undefeated Smith, who was making the third defence of his world title, insists he has no interest in those domestic clashes in the immediate future.

“We’ll see what the future holds but we’ll plan our own route,” Smith told BoxNation. “We’re not thinking around anyone else. We’ll see what weight we want to go and what weight gets us back to where we want to go.

“I’ll let the cuts heal and then get back in the gym. I’ve had a cut all the way through (training camp) so I’m going to let it heal properly now. I wasn’t coming for the occasion, I’ll probably cry my eyes out before I go to bed. I didn’t come to make up the numbers in front of 50,000 people, I came to defend my title.

“If I came back in three years’ time and beat someone here (in Dallas), then yeah but I’m gutted.”

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Promoter Frank Warren believes Smith’s stock will rise despite the defeat and feels that his fighter will return to America in the near future.

“I don’t think he disgraced himself at all against a great fighter,” he said at the post-fight press conference.

“No sour grapes about anything. You noticed the cut over his eye. He did get cut in sparring about five, six weeks ago so he didn’t spar after that. So you take that into consideration, it was a fantastic performance by him.

“I honestly believe he will be back here next year and he will win the title back. One thing about him, you know you’re going to get a fight when Liam is in the ring.”

Related topics:Liam SmithTexas