Smith scraps with Mohoumadi for world title shot, Theophane tackles Broner despite warrants

With such high stakes involved, the undefeated super-middleweight declared that fear of failure is driving him on in what is the biggest bout of his promising career to date.

“Every fight is a must win for me. If I lose this fight it puts me back, just like it would have done had I lost my last fight,” stated the Liverpudlian, who is 9/2 to end the night prematurely in rounds 1-3.

“It’s alright people saying it, but I have got to prove it,” he said. “There’s no point sitting here in ten years time saying I could have been this and I could have done that. No disrespect to the British or European title but if I don’t win a world title, I will have underachieved.

“The fear of failure, that’s what drives me. There’s no point people saying these things without me backing it up. I won’t really believe it all until it is actually done. People thought it was a foregone conclusion that I’d win a British title but in my eyes it wasn’t, I still had to get in there and do it.”

Mohoumadi an unknown threat

It took less than three minutes for ‘Mundo’ to dispatch Fielding before the turn of the New Year, and the Joe Gallagher trained contender is 20/1 for a second successive first-round stoppage, with Mohoumadi entering the ring as somewhat of an unknown challenger.

“This fella is from France and nobody really knows him so there’s not that much pressure in that sense but it’s still a must win fight,” said Smith of his French foe, who is 9/1 to triumph.

Smith’s rapid rise has seen him become British champion within just three years of turning professional and the highly-talented Liverpool fighter will look to take another successful step towards the ultimate goal with victory on home turf this weekend.

Adrien Broner v Ashley Theophane

• WBA light-welterweight title fight
• Saturday, April 2nd
• Scheduled for: 02:00 BST
• D.C. Armory, Washington
• Live on Spike TV

Broner focused despite legal problems and failed weight

London’s Ashley Theophane challenges for the WBA light-welterweight title this weekend in Washington, while recently stripped champion Adrien Broner will be ineligible for the belt even in victory, having failed to make weight.

This scheduled fight first looked to be in jeopardy due to the former title holder facing recent felony assault and robbery charges in Ohio, before weighing in 4lbs over the limit, meaning he was stripped of his crown.

‘The Problem’ Broner (31-2, 23 KOs) will take to the ring in the early hours of Saturday morning with a pair of active warrants for his arrest, after alleged reports that he assaulted and robbed a man at gunpoint last year, though it is unlikely police will attempt any action before the bout.

Despite the 26-year-old’s ongoing legal issues, the former light-welterweight champion is heavy odds-on 1/33 favourite to prevail and claimed he was fully focused during his appearance at a final press conference.

“To be honest, I didn’t come here to talk today. I wasn’t even going to come to this bulls*** today, to be honest. The fight already sold. As you can see there’s about 10 tickets left. My work is done,” declared Broner.

“It’s fight time…”

“Anything is tough when you have a lot of things coming your way. I have tunnel vision. It’s fight time. I’m locked-in until I get the job done.

“Right now I have to focus on this fight. I’m keeping my mind in the right state. I’m not just doing this for me. It’s for my family. It’s bigger than just me.”

There has been heated build-up due to the added rivalry surrounding this meeting, with Broner coming up against a challenger who is guided by his former mentor Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather adds fuel to fight fire

Under the watchful eye of now-retired Mayweather, Theophane (39-6-1, 11 KOs) enters as the 10/1 outsider to emerge victorious, and his promoter has once again laid into former friend Broner, labelling him as a ‘snake’.

“Adrien Broner, his nickname is ‘The Problem’ – I think he has a lot of problems,” slammed Mayweather. “One thing I’m trying to find out about Adrien Broner – is he a boxing promoter, is he a rapper or is he a gangster?

“Like I said before, ‘The Problem’, that’s what Adrien Broner likes to call himself, if I’m not mistaken.

“The problem that he really needs to focus on is his problem in Cincinnati. I think the best name for him is not ‘The Problem’, it’s ‘Snake’.”

With Broner facing issues outside of the ring and haplessly failing to make weight, Theophane may see this as further aid to his world title attempt in Washington, as they get ready to square-off at the D.C. Armory, with the light-welterweight crown in sights for the latter Londoner.

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Coral’s top tip: Back Callum Smith to stop Hadiliah Mohoumadi in rounds 4-6 at 9/4.