Smith will be looking to bounce back from defeat to Chris Eubank Jr, and he’s confident he can emerge victorious against the Sunderland man. 

Kelly knows success against the former world champion can propel him up the rankings, but he’ll likely have to answer questions about his courage when he faces Smith.  

Kelly’s only defeat in his pro career came when he was stopped by David Avanesyan in 2021, and Smith is banking on his engine being better after already seeing Kelly fall short in his biggest fight to date against the world class Avanesyan. 

“His abilities have spoken for themselves since he turned pro. He’s unique, he’s flashy, he’s stylistic but he is where he is for a reason,” said Smith when speaking to Queensberry.

“He hasn’t made that cut at the top for a reason. He lacks other things. You need more than just ability to make it to the top in this game and it’s down to me to exploit those things he hasn’t got.  

“I feel there are loads of things I’ve got that he hasn’t. He feels he’s got stuff that I haven’t. I know I’ve got a lot more in the tank and a lot more in there [heart] than Josh Kelly’s got.” 

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