Exclusive: Hearn Reveals Dalton Smith Ready to Gamble Mandatory Challenger Card for Azim Face-Off

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Dalton Smith, the Sheffield based super-lightweight, is willing to gamble his position as the mandatory challenger for the WBC title by facing compatriot Adam Azim later this year.

An all-British blockbuster between two of domestic boxing’s fiercest rivals seemed further away than ever last month when, a week after Smith was crowned European champion, Azim beat Sergey Lipinets to claim the IBO belt.

Despite winning a lesser regarded version of a world title, Hearn intimated that the Slough fighter’s decision to face the Kazakh would have a detrimental impact upon his ranking with the sport’s four major sanctioning bodies.

With Sandor Martin, the WBC’s number one contender, scheduled to face holder Alberto Puello in Brooklyn next month, Smith is first in line to face the winner of that bout.

Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom who are responsible for guiding the 27-year-old’s career, told SportsBoom.com: “I want the Adam Azim fight. I rate him, he’s very good and it wouldn’t be an easy fight for Dalton at all."

“But what it would do is give these boys an opportunity to become real stars. Real superstars. That’s the orbit they’d be moving into. They’d be putting themselves right up there.”

“Dalton is going to be mandatory (with the WBC) now. We’d probably be looking at him fighting around November time for that."

“But we’re willing to risk that mandatory position to try and get that fight. We believe Dalton would win it but, like I say, it wouldn’t be easy."

"Far from it. But it’s one we want to see and we’re willing to take that risk because of what it could do for them.”

LONG-RUNNING SAGA

Hearn’s comments are the latest twist in one of the domestic boxing’s longest-running sagas, with Smith spending the best part of 18 months calling out Azim and the latter, who competes under the Boxxer banner, choosing to follow a different path. 

But Hearn’s interjection is potentially significant too given that Frank Smith, Matchroom’s chief executive officer, insisted that Smith “doesn’t need” Azim in order to reach the top of his profession both before and after what proved a resounding victory over Walid Ouizza at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham.

That triumph not only saw Smith stretch his unblemished record to 17 bouts but also add the EBU strap to his WBC silver crown. Azim, who impressed against former IBF king Lipinets, is also unbeaten since entering the paid ranks.

Although Hearn’s relationship with Boxxer’s Ben Shalom can be awkward, there are suspicions that others close to Azim are responsible for advising their man to delay a meeting with Smith - preferring to wait until they both gain world honours before arranging a contest between the pair.

Azim’s trainer Shane McGuigan has yet to respond to those claims. But Hearn pointedly referenced him on numerous occasions during a media event, ostensibly to showcase Jack Catterall’s battle against Arnold Barboza Jr, in Manchester on Thursday night.

Outlining why, as well as the beneficial effects it would have upon his profile, Azim should accept Smith’s invitation sooner rather than later, Hearn said: “Adam is miles away (from a recognised world title) now. By taking the IBO, he’ll have given up all his positions now.

“He’s miles away, maybe two years. But we’re willing to give him that shot at being mandatory.”