Shane McGuigan will leave Anthony Fowler if the Liverpool man is unsuccessful against Liam Smith on Saturday night. That’s the brutal verdict of Joe McNally, Smith’s trainer, who will be in the opposing corner to McGuigan when the two stars clash in an eagerly anticipated Scouse derby that will be screened exclusively on DAZN from the sold-out M&S Bank Arena in the fighters’ home city.
McNally, a former undefeated professional who shared the ring with James DeGale and Adonis Stevenson as an amateur, was vocal throughout the final press conference as each invested figure put their point across on the top table. With McGuigan and Fowler both confident in their belief that they can cause an upset this weekend, McNally was eager to point to their relationship when speaking with DAZN after the last verbal exchanges.
“What Anthony doesn’t realise, and keep this on record, if he loses, he’s getting bombed off Shane. That’s the top and bottom of it. Shane is looking at this as a business interest in my opinion.”
As well as offering insights on the direction of Fowler and McGuigan in the fight’s aftermath, McNally was also quick to point out that the timing of the fight has been arranged to assist the 2016 Olympian. This contest will only be Smith’s second outing since the end of 2019, whereas Fowler has been in action four times. McNally says the activity of Fowler has been done deliberately with this fight in mind.
“The past couple of years, Liam has been shipped around the world in the States, Mexico and Russia,” said McNally. “When you look at the statistics, Fowler is one of the most active fighters of the lockdown. All the opponents have been centred towards Liam Smith. I truly believe that it’s been set up for Anthony to win.”
Watch the full Liam Smith vs. Anthony Fowler press conference