Callum Smith has been forced to withdraw from his ring return on March 11th against Pawel Stepian due to injury. Callum would have returned to his home city of Liverpool, England for the first time since 2019 and would have seen him defend his mandatory status for the WBC light heavyweight title. No details have been given by Matchroom boxing regarding the specifics of the injury however, Matchroom has confirmed that the event will continue to proceed.
Smith, former WBA super-middleweight champion and World Boxing Super Series winner, moved up to light-heavyweight following his maiden defeat to Saul Alverez in 2020. Two wins have followed since his move to light-heavyweight with two knockout victories against Gilbert Rivera and Matthieu Bauderlique. However, inactivity is hampering Smith’s continued rise to securing a title opportunity against Artur Beterbiev of which, Smith, is currently the mandatory challenger for the WBC.
Matchroom have confirmed that the event at the M&S Arena in Liverpool will still go ahead with "Diego Pacheco’s WBO International Super-Middleweight Title showdown with Jack Cullen and Robbie Davies Jr’s Super-Lightweight scrap with Darragh Foley now co-headlining.”
