What did Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and Las Vegas have in common in January? Well, both played host to Matchroom Boxing’s ground-breaking ‘Two shows. One night'; a twelve-hour display of championship boxing, involving some of Eddie Hearn’s biggest talents. Who’d have thought ‘ay, Vegas - the fighting capital of the world - and little old Notts’.
On our side of the pond, it was the Motorpoint Arena (of course equally as dazzling as The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas) where Dalton Smith (17-0 13KO) headlined; defeating Frenchman - Walid Ouizza (19-3 8KO) - in an emphatic one-round demolition job, to claim the Super-Lightweight European title.
On the undercard, after losing nearly every round prior, Conah Walker (15-3 6KO) completed "One of the most dramatic turnarounds that we’ve seen in recent history, in British title fights”; stopping Harry Scarff (13-4 3KO) in the eleventh round, to win the British and Commonwealth Welterweight titles.
Also on the show, Super-Bantamweight World Champion - Ellie Scotney (10-0 0KO) - successfully defended her IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine belts, as well as unifying the IBO, as she soundly outpointed Mia Motu (20-1 8KO) over the course of ten rounds.
At the beginning of the evening, the card also featured two of Matchroom’s young prospects: Ibraheem Sulaimaan and Hamza Uddin, both of whom did the job expected of them against tough but typical journeymen.
As it happened...
Nottingham has become somewhat of a sentimental place in Smith’s career. The 27-year-old from Sheffield made his debut here back in 2019 and now captured European gold on his third outing at the Motorpoint Arena.
‘Levels’, as those in the Boxing fraternity often say. Smith looked like a perfect balance of calm and cerebral. Immediately, he was able to find a home for his right hand. The speed, ferocity and conviction that ‘Thunder’ was throwing in his punches left Ouizza looking as though he truly had been struck by lightning; visibly hesitant to answer back out of fear of getting countered.
The quality of Smith’s output was remarkable for a boxer who hadn't been in the ring since March 2024. He looked supremely confident, as if he knew within the first ten seconds that Ouizza would not be able to trouble him.
The quality of Smith’s output was remarkable for a boxer who hadn't been in the ring since March 2024. He looked supremely confident, as if he knew within the first ten seconds that Ouizza would not be able to trouble him. There was something sinister and spiteful about the way Smith drowned Ouizza, showing no respect to a fighter who up until this point in his career had never been stopped or even knocked down in his previous 21 fights - and had even held the European strap back in 2023.
With just eighteen seconds left in the first round, Smith unloaded a brutal barrage of punches that dropped Ouizza. The referee gave the Frenchman a standing-eight count, and as the fighters came back together, Smith dipped as though to throw the right hand over the top but instead, came up with a vicious left hook that sent Ouizza crashing back to the canvas. Simultaneously, the referee waved the fight off as the Frenchman's corner also threw in the towel. You don’t get paid for overtime in Boxing and Smith made that very clear.
Moving down the card, the most atmospheric fight of the night was certainly the chief support as Harry Scarff and Conah Walker did battle for the British and Commonwealth titles in a fantastic advertisement for domestic level boxing. The pair were easily the most well-supported fighters in the arena, having both sold the majority of the tickets for the night.
In the buildup to the fight Walker was goading Scarff to stand close and trade, but for eleven rounds of the fight Scarff fought a disciplined fight that was negotiated at his range. Going into the eleventh round, one judge had it 10-0 and the other two both had the fight 9-1, all in favour of Scarff. And then, like something out of the movies, Walker landed a huge right hand that stunned Scarff, eventually sending him to his feet. With over a minute and a half still left in the round, Walker pounced on Scarff and 25 seconds later the referee jumped in to stop the fight. The beauty of boxing, it's never over until it's over.
Before that, Ellie Scotney defeated New Zealander Mea Motu by a 99-91 unanimous decision across all three judges. The Londoner was made to work for the victory but was evidently the classier and more in-command fighter throughout. Her superior footwork meant that she was able to dictate much of the contest. Rounds Three and Five in particular were vintage Scotney, but in the end, Motu was gritty and game enough to take the bout the distance.
Scotney, 27, is one of Boxing’s best kept secrets and it was disappointing to see her not at least get a co-main event slot on the card. Instead, the only world champion on the show fought at 8pm in front of no more than 500 people. Speaking to DAZN after the fight, Scotney said: “I feel like I don't get the respect I deserve... I want to be undisputed, but people have to be willing to fight and people have to be willing to pay. I also feel like names is what gets you noticed”.
What next?
His performance showed that Smith is ready to be, if not already, a world level operator. In the wake of the fight on BBC 5 Live Boxing, pundit Barry Jones, said - “Dalton Smith is showing us fight by fight… he might have a little bit or a lot of everything that it takes, and you need, to become a world champion”.
You can only beat the person in front of you in boxing, so for me, the criticism surrounding Smith having not yet proved himself is slightly unfair. It was to a greater extent the quality and pedigree of Smith than the ability of Ouizza - that resulted in the outcome we saw. In the promotion of the fight, Smith was branded ‘the belt collector’, the Sheffield fighter has elected to take the 'traditional route’ winning every honour possible at domestic and continental level. Ultimately, making European level fighters look like journeymen – which is exactly what you would expect from a fighter who is at world level.
Smith will need a fight to both continue momentum and fill the void of a big name that is perhaps currently missing on his resume. An elite domestic clash always engages the British public
Nevertheless, in his post-fight interview, Dalton Smith clearly outlined his desire to step up to world level and fight the champions and other big names in the division.
The 140lbs division is arguably the most stacked division in the sport. Alberto Puello and Sandor Martin are contesting the WBC belt on March 1. At #2 in the WBC rankings, Smith will be the next in line to face the winner of that bout. Eddie Hearn has indicated that it will likely be in the winter months that Smith will challenge for world honours. Meaning that in the interim, we will likely see Smith in a bout that bridges the gap to world level. Speaking soon after the bout, Hearn said, “Before we fight for the world title, we will be having that big fight in the summer... it's got to be a big world name.”
Matchroom and Eddie Hearn have a tough and vital decision to make in the matchmaking for Smith’s next bout. Given that he will soon be ‘mandatory challenger’ for the WBC, facing an elite fighter could jeopardise that position to later fight for a world title. But equally Smith will need a fight to both continue momentum and fill the void of a big name that is perhaps currently missing on his resume. An elite domestic clash always engages the British public, so to boost Smith’s profile while at the same time stepping him up to elite levels, you might look to match him with a known entity in the UK such as Josh Taylor.
Personally, I would like to see him face someone like Australian, Liam Parro – a former world champion; only recently having lost the IBF title to Richardson Hitchins. Whether they choose to go down the route of the elite domestic or elite global, Hearn is right in his assertion that “those kind of nights will take Dalton Smith’s profile to another level...gambling to become a bigger name and a bigger draw... and generate more revenue.”
For Scotney, as much as I would love to see her become undisputed at 122lbs. A move up in weight to fight WBC Featherweight champion, Skye Nicolson, would provide her with a big name to elevate her status.
Walker has completely changed the trajectory of his career; signing a multi-fight extension deal with Matchroom just days after the fight. However, Scarff took to social media to remind people of how dominant he had been up until the stoppage, so a big-money rematch is potentially on the cards.
This was a decent card by Matchroom. From world titles to European honours, to British and commonwealth belts. And yet the attendance on Saturday night was not what it could have been. After Walker and Scarff’s bout, their supporting crowd also left - meaning there were even less people there for the main event!
In the past, the Motorpoint Arena has sold out for fighters like Carl Froch and Leigh Wood. Nottingham loves to support one of their own. However, this was a card without a Nottingham fighter, so its perhaps it was less likely to capture the intrigue of the casual sports fan in Notts. Even so, it would have been nice to see Matchroom really push the show more in the buildup to the fight because fighters like Smith and Scotney deserve to be known and advertised up and down the UK. Instead, all the happenings on fight week went very under the radar and I think it was typified by the fact Eddie Hearn elected to attend the Vegas show.
Boxing fans have perhaps all been guilty of getting lost in the influence of Turki Alalshikh and Riyad Season. But I think promoters and fans alike must recognise that the foundation of boxing lies in its domestic scene. Boxing thrives on its ecosystem - without the grassroots structure of small halls and domestic shows, there is no pathway to world level and Riyad Season cards.
Fighters like Walker, and Scarff are the lifeblood of British boxing, even if they may not reach the global stage. For many, these domestic title fights are the pinnacle of their careers - their "World Cup final," as Walker put it.
Nonetheless, I am more confident that Nottingham has welcomed a champion-in-waiting in Dalton Smith and a future multi-weight champion with Ellie Scotney. Given their pedigree, promotional backing and potential matchups, I hope that both will go on to become distinguished faces of British boxing. And then us locals will be having conversations like “do you remember when Dalton Smith and Ellie Scotney fought in Notts?”
Matchroom Smith vs. Ouizza took place on Saturday 25 January 2025 at Motorpoint Arena.
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