

Although Dalton Smith is out of his bill-topping fight with Jon Fernandez in Sheffield on September 28, promoter Matchroom Boxing is trying to make sure the show goes on.
Smith, a junior welterweight prospect who is 16-0 (12 KOs), has been building his brand in Sheffield with consecutive victories over Sam Maxwell and Jose Zepeda, but an injury has caused his withdrawal.
With an undercard that features heavyweight Romford ticketseller John Fisher, the bill is likely to move south, and it would not be a shock to see Fisher – slated to fight Andrii Rudenko – return to the Copper Box Arena in London, home of his 36-second blowout victory of Alen Babic in July.
Elsewhere on the card is the WBO lightweight title fight between Rhiannon Dixon and Terri Harper, and Liverpool junior featherweight talent Peter McGrail faces Brad Foster.
On October 26, Matchroom will be in Manchester at the Co-op Arena, where Jack Catterall and Regis Prograis meet after their original date was postponed following a training injury to Catterall. It is likely that Campbell Hatton will return in a rematch of the only loss of his 15-fight career, against James Flint, and the recently-ordered bout between British and Commonwealth super featherweight titleholder Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jr. is likely to feature.

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.