Liam Smith and Jessie Vargas will finally do battle on April 30th as the chief support to Katie Taylor’s epic battle with Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden.
The fight, being shown exclusively on DAZN, will see Smith continue his climb towards another world title crack as he faces a fighter aiming to secure a big shot himself in the hope of becoming a three-weight world champion.
Smith and Vargas were originally set to meet on February 5th in Las Vegas, but that meeting was postponed as the American tested positive for COVID-19 and had to delay his preparations.
Now fully recovered, Vargas will be at his best as he welcomes Smith to his home country following the Liverpool man’s impressive showing against Anthony Fowler last October.
With the title scene at 154lbs currently dominated by Jermell Charlo and Bryan Castano, an opportunity to face either of those boxers, set to meet later this year in a rematch, will be a real possibility for the victor.
Both fighters have sampled world title glory on previous occasions, and they’ll be pushing hard to prove that they deserve another opportunity.
“Thankfully I’m now through COVID,” Vargas said. “I want to show everyone I’m better than before, I’ve been working on things in the gym, so it’s not like I’ve had a two year lay-off.
“Liam is talking a lot, the fire is burning inside me. You don’t trash talk me, I’m coming in a different person. This will be an action-packed fight. I’ll exploit all of his weaknesses and take him out - My goal is to knock him out and retire him!"
“This fight is an itch that has needed scratching for a long time now and I want to beat Jessie and beat him well and move on,' Smith said. "I hope that he turns up fit and healthy this time as I am aiming to retire him and send him into politics. He wants to move into politics, and I will give him a reason to concentrate on that 100 per cent."
The news means the undisputed lightweight title fight between Ireland's Taylor and Puerto Rican Serrano, tipped by many to be the biggest fight in women's boxing history, has mouthwatering chief support at the world famous combat sports venue.
“It’s going to be an amazing night," Vargas added. "Amanda and Katie are trailblazers for the sport, and I’m honored to be a part of an historic event in New York.”