Thanks to Delay, Smith vs. Molina Gets a PPV Spotlight

by David P. Greisman

Had Ishe Smith and Carlos Molina fought when they were originally scheduled to, their bout would have taken place last month at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in las Vegas. Instead, the 154-pound title fight was postponed after Smith suffered a cut over his right eye in training camp — and now their bout will air on the undercard to what’s anticipated to be the biggest boxing pay-per-view of the year, the Sept. 14 show headlined by Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez, and in the much bigger venue of the MGM Grand.

“It’s a privilege to be on the biggest card of my career, bigger than any ‘Contender’ card I’ve ever fought on, bigger than any ‘ShoBox’ main events, bigger than any HBO co-features I’ve been on,” Smith said on an Aug. 14 news conference call. “This is arguably the biggest event in the past 10 to 15 years, just because of the main event and the co-feature [Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse].”

Smith is a Las Vegas native who is with Mayweather Promotions. That affiliation helped him out. Another Mayweather signee, Ashley Theophane, will be on the undercard facing Pablo Cesar Cano. Garcia and Matthysse, meanwhile, are two fighters who like Mayweather are featured on Golden Boy cards and advised by Al Haymon.

Smith won the International Boxing Federation’s belt in February with a majority decision over Cornelius Bundrage, bringing the 35-year-old’s record to 25-5 with 11 knockouts. Molina, 30, became mandatory challenger for that title with a February decision win over Cory Spinks. He is 21-5-2 with 6 knockouts.

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com