Much of the Smith vs Williams undercard talk this weekend will center around the professional debut of Nicola Adams who should find a way to a routine victory, but the pick of the bunch on a domestic level is the clash between Jack Catterall and Martin Gethin.
Martin’s career seemed to be coming to a close when he was stunningly stopped by Adam Little last September. But a home-coming back in Walsall was not to be Gethin’s farewell fight as an offer to meet John Wayne Hibbert at short notice was too good to turn down.
The decision to carry on will now be seen as a fruitful one for Gethin as he produced a stunning performance to stop a bloodied Hibbert with a contender for knockout of the year just a week after boxing in his home town.
Now the man who has shared the ring with the likes of Derry Mathews and Terry Flanagan, will have the opportunity to burst the bubble of up-and-coming prospect Jack Catterall.
Catterall 17-0(9KO’s) looks to have a bright future ahead of him, and may have been wise to pass up on an opportunity to face Tyrone Nurse for the British title.
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Catterall has several notable wins at British level, including a well-fought victory over the tough Joe Hughes last May.
Ultimately without that win on his resume I would be leaning towards an upset win here for Gethin 28-8-1(12KO’s), but that night gave Catterall some valuable lessons in a boxing ring.
Should Gethin remain injury free throughout the contest then he can push Catterall all the way in an exciting battle.
But in order to win Gethin must put some rounds in the bag early to stop Catterall from pulling into a clear lead.
Should Gethin drag Catterall in close during the early doors, then he can produce a late charge to slowly break down his opponent, possibly forcing a late stoppage.
But the tentative pick is for Jack to keep himself out of danger for a good 5 or 6 rounds before he survives a late scare to grab a victory on the scorecards after 10 exciting rounds.
Rest of the Smith vs Williams Undercard
In a bout of worldwide significance, the outstanding Zolani Tete 24-3 (20KO’s) can continue to adhere himself to the British public as the outstanding talent from South Africa looks to close in on another world title fight.
Having already beaten Paul Butler on British soil, Tete has the chance to produce more fireworks in England, this time with the crowd firmly on his side as he faces Arthur Villanueva 30-1 (16KO’s).
Villanueva’s only loss came at the hands of McJoe Arroyo, but will likely suffer a second defeat when the power of Tete becomes too much in the fight’s second half.
Tete can score knockout number 4 on British soil with a stoppage between rounds 9-11.
That concludes our Smith vs Williams undercard preview this weekend – enjoy the fights.