Smith injured, Sept. 28 Fernandez fight postponed

The rest of the show will proceed, though at a new venue to be named

One of Matchroom’s upcoming main events is off the table, as Jake Donovan and Tris Dixon report that top super lightweight prospect Dalton Smith is out of his September 28th European title fight against Jon Fernandez.

Both add that the rest of the show, which includes Rhiannon Dixon vs Terri Harper and Johnny Fisher vs Andrii Rudenko, will proceed at a new venue. Smith’s (16-0, 12 KO) hometown of Sheffield was slated to play host; should Fisher step in as the new featured attraction, odds are they’ll head to his stomping grounds of Romford.

Smith fought four times in 2022, but managed just two appearances in 2023 and one this year, a March wipeout of Jose Zepeda. Spain’s Fernandez (26-3, 22 KO) wasn’t the step up we’d like to see from Smith, as he’s fallen to his three best opponents, but it still would have been nice to see “Thunder” back in action. Hopefully whatever ails him is minor.