A NEW BRITISH BREW
good cop,” said Azim. One notable British rivalry that became a memorable trilogy happened in 2003-05, involving Jamie Moore and Michael Jones. Their series might have been a little lost outside of North West England, but I was fortunate enough to be ringside for all three, and they just got better and better. Moore won the decider in an up-and- down war and should have gone on to become a world champion. Instead, these days Jamie is a world-class trainer, passing his vast knowledge to the next generation. Jamie is in the neutral corner with Adam and Dalton – and explains the excitement inside boxing about this potentially massive showdown: “Adam Azim is very, very good; his jab is beautiful, lovely lateral movement, his timing, one of the best prospects we have. I have been really impressed with him. Stylistically like Amir Khan.” “Will he become a world champion?” I asked Jamie. “Yes. With time, they shouldn’t rush him. There are a lot of fights that he should take, that he might struggle with, but in the long run, when he meets the best fighters in the world, he’ll be better equipped to win. Take the proper lessons on board.” “Dalton Smith is a phenomenal fighter,” Jamie continues. “He’s been down to our gym sparring with Jack Catterall, and I rate him really highly. Dalton has done a little more than Adam. Dipping his toe into world level. He’s been more adventurous and calculated.” “Dalton will become a world champion,” Jamie continues, “and I would imagine that Adam Azim will become a world champion and that an all-British unification fight will be absolutely enormous. Turki has come along and has been phenomenal for boxing, and he will be the reason why eventually this fight happens. Instead of us having the scenario we had [with] Kell Brook and Amir Khan – where it never happened at the right time. It was too late.”
“But when is the right time?” I asked. “Not yet! Both guys were scheduled to fight each other, but it didn’t happen. Adam vacated his European title with Dalton the mandatory, probably because his team felt it wasn’t the right time. That was the right decision; why take the risk at this embryonic stage? When they do eventually box, it will be far bigger and both will get the right rewards.” So they met in Birmingham and turned down a face-off because we are not there yet. Genuinely they aren’t really going to disrespect each other, but there is underlying tension. “A hundred percent I believe Adam will win a world title – and so will I,” Dalton said. “But we all know who doesn’t want the fight – them. We tried to make it for the European – he vacated. The only people who didn’t want it was their side. Now the goal is to go and win these world titles. I actually think they are right not taking it now. Shane knows. “The problem for them is I am going to get better. “It will happen within the next 18 months. Adam has already tried to say some things. The fire is now burning. I dared him to say it to my face – not a response. He wasn’t as cocky then.” “Come on,” Adam says. “I don’t hate him. I have respect for him. But face to face in Birmingham, he didn’t engage and hid behind the cameras!” “Do you think we are looking at 2026?” I asked Jamie Moore. “That looks right,” he replied. “Their styles will definitely gel when they do meet and they are around together. Adam – you know that you need someone to do it with you to fully secure your future. I firmly believe they are each other’s dance partners. “I would have one or both fighting for a world title before the end of this year, and then by the summer of next year I would have them selling out a stadium in England. Maybe Hillsborough.” Or Anfield, I thought. I have spoken to Liverpool’s CEO Billy Hogan and he
would love to host boxing. Adam has met Kostas Tsimikas and is often seen training with his Liverpool shirt on. The club’s in fine fettle – rather like these two. Jamie supports Manchester United, so he would hate it at Liverpool – but, like all of us in the fight fraternity wouldn’t miss this for the world. “Which corner would you like to have control of on the night, and whose arm will be raised?” I ask him at the end of our absorbing chat. “Ooogh …” Jamie thought for a minute. “I’ll go with Dalton Smith – I just feel he’s a little more equipped and experienced to go into a fight like that.” The beauty with Smith-Azim is that everyone has an opinion and a country is divided, so I left the last words to the two marvelous young proteges. “It will be a very good buildup,” Dalton said. “Stylistically – a great clash which will be really entertaining for 4 or 5 rounds. Then I stop him and that is when you will find out the truth. 6 or 7 rounds.” “Levels above him,” countered Azim. “I want to win world titles in different weight classes – and conquer all divisions up to [junior middleweight]. I’m going to make a massive statement: 100% I will stop Dalton. In less than five rounds.” I told Adam that Dalton predicted he will take him out in six or seven. “He’s not going to be stopping me,” Adam responded. “I am going to knock him out. He’s in for a very rude awakening. It will be one of the biggest fights like Froch- Groves, Eubank-Benn – HUGE.” I promise you: This will be worth waiting for. Adam and Dalton have both committed fully to boxing since they were kids, and they – and we – deserve their explosive mix of elite quality to come to fruition for the good of our wonderful sport. Not now, but soon. Really very soon. Please. And please, can I call it?
Azim battered ex-world titleholder Sergey Lipinets.
of the Year candidate that Eubank won by unanimous decision. There may be a rematch as we clamor for more fun and games: roller- coaster storytelling, bluff and bravado, extreme entertainment and real dislike for each other. The rivalry that now spans three decades is a boon for fighters and fans alike – one of many developments that have taken place in boxing with the investments of Riyadh Season and the rise of Turki Alalshikh as the face of this new era. As with other rivalries that currently simmer on the fringes, the hope is that Smith-Azim can join the movement and become a reality so that
We need to get it over the line. It can’t slip away. Turki can make this. And if we both win world titles first, it will be much bigger.” But of course that stab is always at the ready: “Dalton’s not as big a name yet – needs more exposure.” They are both serious names within the British boxing trade, of course, but the key to a mega-event is breaking through to the casual fan. As a means to that end, these nice, authentic guys may need to up their trash-talk game. There is nothing quite like bad blood to sell a fight, and we will surely need a little more. “I might have to play bad cop to his
we won’t miss out on another awesome match, as fans did when Joe Calzaghe- Carl Froch was confined to the boxing rubble. We are just so disappointed when major fights don’t happen. “Now [that] Turki is around and the promoters are working together, it is so easy to be made once the time is right,” Smith told me. On this, Azim agreed: “Riyadh Season really helps,” he said. “Turki’s been putting everything on.
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