Smith wins with a strange stop

Liam Smith reiterated his credential for another world championship shot with a weird fourth inning win.

The former WBO superweight world champion, who last competed in April, took on his former teammate Hassan Mwakinyo.

Smith, who fought for the first time since signing endorsements with Boxxer and Sky Sports, finished after one minute and 46 seconds of the fourth round – but it was a controversial finish.

The fight was pretty even in the first three innings, with both doing well.

Mwakinyo, a former Tanzanian IBO champion, is known for his shock win over Sam Eggington in Birmingham four years ago.

He worked a little better than expected against a man on ‘Beefy’ who had previously shared several rounds with him ahead of Saturday night’s encounter at the M&S Bank Arena.

The visitor slipped late in the third round and appeared to have injured his ankle, but then continued to fight with a series of difficult shots.

However, during the fourth inning, he fell twice. Mwakinyo came off the field of his own accord on both occasions – likely with an ankle injury – and the match was sent off by referee Victor Loughlin.