The mandatory fight between Callum Smith and Anthony Dirrell is up in the air - after Dirrell requested for a change in date, venue and location.
The fight was ordered by the World Boxing Council for the vacant WBC super middleweight title. In order to make his official move to the light heavyweight division, Badou Jack vacated the WBC belt back in January after going to a twelve round draw with current IBF champion James DeGale.
A purse bid took place in March, and TGB Promotions – a company that will promote the fight on behalf of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions – won with a whopping bid of $1.6 million. Haymon is the adviser to Dirrell.
Smith (22-0, 17 KOs) is the WBC’s No. 1 super middleweight contender, and Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) is ranked at No. 2.
The two sides were going stage the fight on September 9th in Los Angeles, California - and contracts were signed for that date and location.
But now Dirrell is attempting to move the fight to his hometown of Flint, Michigan - with date switch to September 8th.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, who handle Smith, there is nothing in the signed contracts that would allow Dirrell to change the date and location.
"We've had a request to change the date to September 8 which is very disappointing. We want to reject that with the WBC," Hearn said to Daily Mail.
"It was supposed to be in LA but they want to move it to Flint, Michigan. We'd rather it be in LA of course and we have signed a contract for September 9 in LA so as far as we're concerned that's where the fight's happening.
"'We have signed a contract, we have no mechanisms for change in the contract so I can't see how it can be changed. But they'll try and change it and we'll see what happens."
In his last ring appearance, Dirrell demolished Hungary’s Norbert Nemesapati (25-5, 18 KOs), who lost by technical knockout to Dirrell following six one-sided rounds January 13 in Hialeah, Florida.
In Smith’s most recent fight, the 26-year-old Liverpool native stopped fellow Brit Luke Blackledge (22-3-2, 7 KOs) in the 10th round December 10 in Manchester, England.
