Liam Smith is victorious in his home city of Liverpool but it's not the finish he wanted; Hasson Mwakinyo bout ends in confusion and controversy after four rounds
Sunday 4 September 2022 11:08, UK
Liam Smith beat Hassan Mwakinyo to remain on course for another world title challenge, but the stoppage came in bizarre fashion.
Under pressure in the fourth round, Mwakinyo sank to a knee in his own corner. That prompted a count from the referee. As Smith closed in, Mwakinyo went down again and the Liverpudlian opened up with punches, belting him into the ropes.
The referee had taken it as a sign of surrender from the visitor, waving the bout off at 1.46 of the fourth.
Mwakinyo though quickly rose to remonstrate, seeming to want to continue once the referee's verdict was in.
Smith himself was frustrated.
"I'm a bit gutted I never gave the fans a proper finish but it's out of my hands," he said.
"He said he slipped. He just quit. It doesn't take a genius to work that out. I said about the sparring story, I knew he had it in him."
In the previous round, Mwakinyo had tumbled over and for a moment appeared to be carrying an injury.
Yet he suddenly stood his ground and opened fire, slugging Smith with a heavy back-hand hook. That encouraged him and he pressed on with the assault then, even striking Smith after the bell had rung to end the round.
"I didn't really do too much early on because Hassan was wild," Smith reflected, left confused by the ending himself. "I don't know what happened.
"I hadn't even got going, I was jabbing, I knew Hassan would be wild and tire early and then I'd take over."
Smith just wants to move on. "People are probably bored of me saying it," he maintained. "Just get me a big fight."
Ranked highly by the WBC, WBO and WBA sanctioning bodies, Smith remains in position to earn a shot at a major belt and try to become a world champion once again.
He was risking that position against Mwakinyo, a hard puncher who had stopped Sam Eggington the last time he boxed in the UK.
Perhaps with that in mind, he began the first round steadily, throwing diligent jabs as he took the measure of the Tanzanian.
But the touches of class came from Smith early on. Mwakinyo's guard opened and Smith thumped a hard left through. He screwed that lead into the body and kept his own gloves high to deny Mwakinyo the chance to counter.
There were elements of danger though from Mwakinyo in the fight too.
He knew he needed to find more and was busier in the third round. He doubled his jab and slammed a clean right uppercut into the chin. For a moment Smith had to step off and compose himself.
Then slipping over, Mwakinyo stumbled and fell. He looked like he had hurt his leg when he rose gingerly. But carrying on, Mwakinyo just stood his ground and opened up with punches. He connected with a right hook and that only encouraged Mwakinyo to throw more. He switched southpaw and, over-exuberant, clumped Smith after the bell.
Smith, going after him in the fourth round, had Mwakinyo cornered, only for him to sink down twice. Smith knocked him off his feet with glancing punches and then referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to bring the bout to its bizarre conclusion.
Anthony Crolla on the bizarre finish to Smith's win...
"I think it's been strange behaviour from Hassan all week, he got in the country very late, he wasn't at the presser, I was looking at him in the corner and his body language just seemed very odd. The frustrating thing is, I've got to agree with Liam - I do believe he quit, but the frustrating thing is he's a talented fighter. He was landing some shots of his own. I do believe Liam was going to warm into it and Liam was going to break him up and stop him.
"And maybe that was it. He landed a few very good shots… It was just a strange ending."
Johnny Nelson condemned Mwakinyo…
"He dived. I know it's disrespectful to say that about a fighter. I'm an ex-fighter so I'm allowed to say it. He dived.
"Liam was familiar with this gentleman. So when they sparred he [Smith] said he's got quit in him. Even if he doesn't want to quit, he's going to quit. That's what he did, he quit. There was nothing wrong with him at all. He gave it his all and Liam was just stalking him down.
"His ankle didn't twist. He dived."
The biggest fight in the history of women's boxing - Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall - is live on Sky Sports on Saturday September 10. Be part of history and buy tickets for the London showdown here.
