Dalton Smith destroys Walid Ouizza in one round and eyes world title shot
Smith revealed who he wants to fight next
Dalton Smith decimated Walid Ouizza in one round last night before expressing his desire for a world title shot next.
Smith (17-0, 13 KOs), dropped Ouizza with a flurry of punches followed by a big right-hand before flooring his opponent for a second time with a perfect left hook to capture the European Super Lightweight title in Nottingham.
Ouizza (19-3, 8 KOs) rose to his feet but the referee signalled the end to a one-sided contest where Smith displayed the punching power, accuracy and shot selection that make him a serious contender in the 140 lbs division.
Despite being inactive for almost one year, ‘Thunder’ showcased excellent timing throughout the first round to buzz Ouizza with powerful body punches and sharp right-hand counters.
Ouizza, who hadn’t lost since 2018 prior to facing Smith, was a few levels below the Brit and his nervous ring walk was a sign the bout would not last long.
Smith is currently ranked number two in the WBC rankings and it’s possible ‘Thunder’ will face the winner of Alberto Puello vs Sandor Martin who are scheduled to fight for the WBC world title on March 1.
However, the Yorkshireman did not rule out a fight against the super lightweight elite, mentioning Devin Haney in his post-fight interview.
Meanwhile, British rival, Adam Azim, criticised Smith’s fight on social media, implying the bout was fought at a low level.
This comes after Azim vacated the European title in 2024 to avoid an ordered clash with Smith, before battling Ohara Davies instead and claiming a fifth-round knockout.
Azim returns on February 1 against Sergey Lipinets at Wembley Arena and an emphatic victory for ‘The Assassin’ could inspire more pressure from the British public to see Smith vs Azim before the end of 2025.
Following Azim’s dig, Eddie Hearn said to Boxing Social: “Well he bases his whole career around Dalton Smith. You have to remember that Ben Shalom wanted Adam Azim to fight on the Benn-Eubank card.
“I said to Ben, ‘let’s make Dalton Smith fight on that card.’ He said ‘Oh he’s got ramadan.’ I get that. but I don’t think Shane McGuigan would touch Dalton Smith right now. Shane McGuigan knows what he’s doing. Barry [McGuigan] and Shane know where their fighter is at.”
Undercard
On the undercard Conah Walker overcame a multi-round deficit on the card to stop Harry Scarff in the 11th round, capturing the Welterweight British and Commonwealth titles.
This was after Ellie Scotney outpointed Mea Motu to retain the WBO and IBF Super Bantamweight world titles and highly touted prospect Ibraheem Sulaimaan outclassed Reuquen Arce via decision.
Hamza Uddin attained the fourth win of his professional career against Misael Ezequiel Graffioli while Trai Duberry survived a late knockdow to beat Camilo Castagno at cruiserweight.
Good display from Dalton but I would shake off the rust with another defence or two before rushing into world level. Jon Fernandez be a solid next defence.
I get what you mean. It’s easy to get carried away when you face overmatched opponents. Personally, I think Dalton Smith has a chance against the winner of Puello and Martin though.