Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport are delighted to announce that Stephen Smith has signed a promotional deal with the company and will box on the undercard of Carl Froch vs. George Groves World title bill on Sky Sports Box Office on November 23 in Manchester.
The British Super Featherweight champion joins his younger brother Callum in Britain’s hottest boxing stable, and the 28 year old is excited by the opportunities laid out for him by his new promoter.
“I’m really looking forward to pushing on with my career with Eddie and Sky Sports,” said Smith. “It’s the best move for me, Eddie’s got some great plans and I’m really excited by the future.”
Smith has a mandatory for his British title in former champion Gary Sykes and both Hearn and the Liverpool star hope to finalise for the Froch vs. Groves bill, and with Smith well ranked in the governing boxing bodies, he hopes to be fighting on the world stage next year.
“My fight with Gary has the makings of a really great clash,” said Smith. “Our styles will gel well and the fans are in for a cracker on a great bill, and of course the British title is really important to me and to all of us in the family. I won’t be looking beyond Gary but there are some really interesting fights down the line for me as I look to move onto the world stage. I hope to be able to put on a great display against Gary in what will be a really tough fight, then push on to some big battles next year.”
Promoter Hearn added: “I’m delighted to welcome Stephen to the team. He’s an excellent talent and I’ve got some big plans for him in 2014. Before that though is a clash with Gary Sykes which is a fight I’m very excited by and one that I would want to make even if it wasn’t a mandatory. Stephen will have to be at his best to keep hold of his title, and when he does, he’s got big things in front of him.”