Adam Azim and his opponent Kurt Scoby nearly fought tonight instead of Saturday.
The two boxers tangled at this evening’s public workout before they fight for real at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the undercard to the Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn rematch.
“He was just standing there saying, ‘I’m the bigger guy,’ so most of these guys aren’t going to do nothing,” Azim told DAZN.
“Most of these champions, Terence Crawford, Canelo, Gervonta [Davis], Ryan [Garcia], they’ve never been muscly, so his muscle ain’t going to do the talking on Saturday.
“I can’t wait to smash his face in on Saturday. I’m very calm but he’s a bit erratic…. I’m going to punish him and take him into deep waters.”
Trainer Shane McGuigan said the fighters had several exchanges this week, but that it was all good experience for his 13-0 (10 KOs) prospect.
Azim had been expected to fight Zaur Abdullaev, but the 30-year-old Scoby – 18-1 (16 KOs) – came in after the Armenian-based Russian “withdrew.”
“This is a completely different fight,” admitted McGuigan. “This guy is equally as dangerous and will pose a lot of problems, he’s a well-muscled lad, a good athlete, used to be an NFL [football] player apparently in his youth, so sometimes when they’re not that credible in boxing they can still cause problems with their athleticism, so we’ve got to be switched on. “Adam wants to be the best in the world, that’s the most important thing, and you’ve got to get by all-comers.”
McGuigan was asked about the fighters having an altercation in the hotel this week, but remained focused on the task at hand.
“I think he’s a couple of fights away, one or two fights from being a world champion and it’s nice to get a loudmouth American, and you can’t play into his hands and you’ve got to go out and do what you have to do to get the victory,” said the trainer.
“From a boxing standpoint, he’s nearly there [at world level]. It’s just experience. He’s going to progress once he fills into maybe 147 as well, I think you’re probably going to see the best Adam Azim when he’s 147. But he’s a frightening talent.”
McGuigan said he expects Dalton Smith to come through against Subriel Matias in January, and further teased the possibility of Azim-Smith, which has already been discussed for the best part of two years.
“A hundred per cent, it’s a fight that needs to happen,” said McGuigan. “We’ve been brewing it nicely, Subriel Matias is no joke. I think Dalton Smith might be getting him at the right time, I think he needs to make a dent in him early in the fight, not go looking for it, but think if he makes a dent on him he can box at his pace and I’ve got full confidence Dalton will win and that sets up an even bigger fight down the line.”
