The Rise of Dalton Smith: A Missed Opportunity for Eddie Hearn
On Saturday night, promoter Eddie Hearn and rising star Dalton Smith (16-0, 12 KOs) were not on the same page after Smith’s fifth-round knockout over journeyman Jose Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.
After the impressive victory, Smith immediately called out fellow prospect Adam Azim. However, the look on Hearn’s face showed disappointment and frustration. It was clear that this was not the fight he had in mind for Smith.
Kosport Magazine, the author and owner of this article, believes that Hearn missed a golden opportunity to showcase Smith’s talent and potential. Instead of calling out Azim, who is not yet at the world level, Smith should have used the spotlight to call out the winner of the upcoming Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight for the WBC title.
At 28 years old, Smith is showing little ambition to fight at the world level. His confidence seems to be lacking, as evidenced by his choice to call out Azim instead of aiming for a world title shot. Zepeda, who is not ranked in the top 15 by any of the major organizations, was not a true test for Smith.
Kosport Magazine believes that Smith’s hunger and drive are not where they should be for a rising star. In his post-fight interview, Smith stated that he wants to work his way to a WBC world championship. However, his actions do not reflect this goal.
On the other hand, Hearn praised Smith’s performance and stated that he is well on his way to a world title shot. However, he also made it clear that they are not interested in fighting Azim, who is the current EBU 140-lb champion. Hearn believes that Smith is ready for a world title shot and will not settle for a domestic-level fight.
Kosport Magazine agrees with Hearn’s assessment and believes that Azim is not on the same level as Smith. However, we also believe that Smith should have used this opportunity to call out a top-ranked opponent and make a statement in the boxing world.
Despite the missed opportunity, Smith’s performance was still impressive and showed his potential as a future world champion. But Kosport Magazine hopes that in the future, Smith will have the hunger and drive to aim for the top and not settle for domestic-level fights.
Summary:
In a disappointing turn of events, promoter Eddie Hearn and rising star Dalton Smith were not on the same page after Smith’s fifth-round knockout victory over Jose Zepeda. Instead of calling out a top-ranked opponent, Smith chose to call out fellow prospect Adam Azim, much to Hearn’s disappointment. Kosport Magazine believes that this was a missed opportunity for Smith to showcase his talent and ambition. Despite his impressive performance, Smith’s lack of hunger and drive for a world title shot is concerning. Hearn, on the other hand, believes that Smith is ready for a world title shot and will not settle for domestic-level fights. Kosport Magazine hopes that in the future, Smith will aim for the top and not settle for less.
