Adam Azim: I’d take both Harlem Eubank and Dalton Smith in one night! | Barry McGuigan: ‘Smith fights scared’

Adam Azim knocked out Ohara Davies on Saturday, and took him out for a meal the following day.

Azim excelled in a strong showing against Davies at the Copper Box in London and believes that performance shows he is ready for another step up in class, and his other domestic rivals.

He was close to fighting Harlem Eubank earlier this year and has long been linked to a bout with Sheffield’s Dalton Smith.

“I’ll take both of them in one night,” Azim told Sky Sports. “It will just be a pure boxing masterclass. I’ll fight both of them and I know it ain’t going to go four rounds.

“Them two keep obviously buzzing off my name. I don’t really buzz from their names, but because they keep talking about me I’ve got to talk about them as well.

“The Harlem Eubank fight’s still there. The Dalton Smith fight’s still there. There’s so many fights on the horizon, but it’s whether the timing is right. I could fight a former world champion as well, so these are the step-ups I need.”

Azim showed new dimensions to his boxing in his most recent outing.

“You guys have seen a lot of new stuff I did in the fight. Long-range, inside work, mid-range, countering from inside. It was all in the full package,” he said.

“My tactics were really good the first three rounds, I knew I had the fight after that, but anything can happen in boxing. One punch can change anything, so I had to be really switched on.

“Ohara Davies is a big banger as well, so he can punch. Everything was on track.

“It was a very, very good performance by me. It was a very tough fight as well, so it was not an easy fight.”

Azim has known Davies for many years and has always had respect for him. They even went for a meal the day after their fight.

“We did have a Nando’s the next day. We went out, I did pay for it,” Azim said.

“It was a good step up, a good victory and it was a good day.”

‘Dalton Smith fights scared’

Barry McGuigan, former world champion, boxing legend and father of Azim’s trainer Shane, has been following the fighter’s progress as closely as anyone.

McGuigan is adamant that Azim is a threat to anyone in the super-lightweight division.

“Punches you don’t see are the punches that knock you out and he’s so quick that he can hit with six punches before you bless yourself. He’s amazingly fast,” he said of Azim.

“We’re working on basically making him walk guys down because we know he can box and move and fight defensively. So Shane has been working particularly hard on making him fight up close, blocking and slipping and any world-class fighters will tell you that is a skill on its own.”

The rivalry with Smith will continue to grow and McGuigan is confident that is a fight Azim will win.

“Adam is too good for Dalton Smith. Dalton’s a very good fighter, don’t get me wrong. But he fights scared,” McGuigan told Sky Sports.

“He boxes nervously as if he’s not confident. He doesn’t fight aggressively. He boxes. He holds and waits and waits. And that’s a very good tactic against particular styles of fighters. We’re absolutely convinced that Adam will not just beat Dalton Smith, he’ll beat any of them in that weight division.

“[Dalton Smith] is talented no question, arguably should have fought for a world title by now. Being realistic when they’re both world champions, that’s when the fight really impacts and that’s when it has a huge amount of reach.

“Shane will not be rushed. We know how to make champions. We know how to train them, we know how to develop them, we know how to make them.

“We believe that he’ll be ready when he’s ready and we’ll make that decision.”