Ben Shalom has been mightily impressed by Liam Smith as the Liverpool man prepares for his January 21 showdown with Chris Eubank Jr.
The head of Boxxer stages the all-British clash later this month in a bout that will see Smith make the leap to 160lbs after enjoying many successes at super-welterweight.
The last 18 months of Smith’s career have seen him score notable wins over Anthony Fowler and Jessie Vargas, but he heads into the Eubank fight as the underdog.
The Brighton man still holds lofty aspirations in the sport, but he’s been warned by Shalom that he’s up against it when he faces Smith.
"This is a big, big fight for him, he's had a wonderful career, he's done everything that he's dreamt of, but he's almost having an Indian summer," said Shalom when speaking with Sky Sports.
"Liam as I say is an extremely smart fighter. One thing's for sure, they're both come-forward fighters and it's going to be explosive from round one. Delighted that we're going to see it.
"This is a real fight, this is a boxing fans' fight. This is two big names in the sport. Liam Smith former world champion and has achieved things I think Eubank will want to achieve in the next year or two. So, I think it's the perfect fight at the right time."