NEW YORK -- Less than a year ago Callum Smith knocked out George Groves to become the WBA super middleweight champion of the world. Somehow that fight feels like two years ago, especially since Smith hasn't yet defended that title. That will change on June 1 when Smith makes the first defense of that title on DAZN against former middleweight champion Hassan N'Dam who will be making his debut in the super middleweight division.
Smith (25-0, 18 KOs), like in many of his fights, will have the size advantage over N'Dam. He likes to fight behind an excellent jab and he is able to control the distance and pace of a round with just that punch. What follows that jab is what makes Smith especially dangerous. He has good power in both hands and throws an accurate straight right hand and a very good left hook. That left hook can be thrown short to catch an opponent between punches or be loaded up on and exploded to the body. Defensively Smith is also skilled and while he wouldn't be described as being especially slick he does have a solid chin and good command of distance.
The super middleweight division has plenty of name fighters and hopefully fans will get to see Smith fight some of them. So far the biggest names on his resume are Rocky Fielding, Luke Blackledge, and Groves. Fans certainly won't get excited to see him face a 35-year-old N'Dam who is moving up in weight for this fight and has already been beating by fighters like Peter Quillin, David Lemieux, and Ryota Murata. Hopefully politics and promotional lines can be put to the side so if Smith were to beat N'Dam fans could see a unification fights against the likes of Caleb Planet, Billy Joe Saunders, or Anthony Dirrell. Of course before any talk of a unification fight can even start, Smith will first need to successfully defend his WBA title.
N'Dam (37-3, 21 KOs) is a fighter who relies heavily on his power punches despite not being an overwhelmingly powerful puncher. The Cameroon native doesn't use his jab nearly enough which is a shame because his jab is actually pretty good. His left hook is dangerous but he often throws that punch very wide, which will give a skilled fighter like Smith time to avoid it. N'Dam does vary his attack nicely with his right hand, throwing it straight and as an uppercut. He is the type of fighter who likes to get inside, let a few power punches go, then move back to avoid having to sustain trading punches. However, when N'Dam does come inside he usually comes in straight ahead so he's there to be hit and doesn't exactly have a granite chin.
Realistically this will probably be N'Dam's last chance to win a world title. He's been fighting professionally for 15 years and is definitely nearing the end of the line, at least as a legitimate title contender. While he does hold wins over Avtandil Khurtsidze, Curtis Stevens, Ryota, and Martin Murray he has lost the biggest fights of his career. N'Dam has only been stopped once in his three career losses but he was dropped four times by Lemieux. A loss to Smith would most likely relegate N'Dam to gatekeeper status while a win would be a shocking upset.
This fight could very well end up being all Smith. Not only will he have the size advantage but he also hits harder and is seven years younger and fresher. Smith's ability to control the distance with his jab should bother N'Dam as he tries to come forward and the power punches that follow it should be able to do serious damage. N'Dam's best chance to win this fight will be to bang away at the body of Smith. If N'Dam can get inside, work the body, and once Smith drops his hands, catch him with something big upstairs he could find success. That isn't highly likely though and chances are that Smith will dominate.
PREDICTION: Hassan N'Dam is a tough fighter with a lot of heart but he just isn't as good as Callum Smith. Smith is going to control the action in this fight and once he has the fight won on the cards he will go in for the kill and stop N'Dam in the 10th round.
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| Smith hoisting the Ali Trophy after beating George Groves |
The super middleweight division has plenty of name fighters and hopefully fans will get to see Smith fight some of them. So far the biggest names on his resume are Rocky Fielding, Luke Blackledge, and Groves. Fans certainly won't get excited to see him face a 35-year-old N'Dam who is moving up in weight for this fight and has already been beating by fighters like Peter Quillin, David Lemieux, and Ryota Murata. Hopefully politics and promotional lines can be put to the side so if Smith were to beat N'Dam fans could see a unification fights against the likes of Caleb Planet, Billy Joe Saunders, or Anthony Dirrell. Of course before any talk of a unification fight can even start, Smith will first need to successfully defend his WBA title.
N'Dam (37-3, 21 KOs) is a fighter who relies heavily on his power punches despite not being an overwhelmingly powerful puncher. The Cameroon native doesn't use his jab nearly enough which is a shame because his jab is actually pretty good. His left hook is dangerous but he often throws that punch very wide, which will give a skilled fighter like Smith time to avoid it. N'Dam does vary his attack nicely with his right hand, throwing it straight and as an uppercut. He is the type of fighter who likes to get inside, let a few power punches go, then move back to avoid having to sustain trading punches. However, when N'Dam does come inside he usually comes in straight ahead so he's there to be hit and doesn't exactly have a granite chin.
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| N'Dam punishing his opponent to the body |
This fight could very well end up being all Smith. Not only will he have the size advantage but he also hits harder and is seven years younger and fresher. Smith's ability to control the distance with his jab should bother N'Dam as he tries to come forward and the power punches that follow it should be able to do serious damage. N'Dam's best chance to win this fight will be to bang away at the body of Smith. If N'Dam can get inside, work the body, and once Smith drops his hands, catch him with something big upstairs he could find success. That isn't highly likely though and chances are that Smith will dominate.
PREDICTION: Hassan N'Dam is a tough fighter with a lot of heart but he just isn't as good as Callum Smith. Smith is going to control the action in this fight and once he has the fight won on the cards he will go in for the kill and stop N'Dam in the 10th round.
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