Promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer is firm in his opinion that former world champion Liam Smith is a tougher opponent than Conor Benn for Chris Eubank Jr.

Eubank was scheduled to face Benn last fall, but the entire event was called off when Benn tested positive for a banned substance.

This Saturday in Manchester, Eubank will collide with Smith in a middleweight showdown.

"Smith is a much better boxer than Conor Benn and is probably a much better boxer than Eubank Jr, he's a former world champion.  Smith has done much more in his career than Eubank Jr, it's a tougher fight than Conor Benn," Shalom said.

Shalom shook his head at the recent events being staged by Misfits Boxing. The events, which are carried by DAZN, involve boxing matches with social media influencers.

"It's dangerous to call the Misfits card boxing, it's entertainment, it's celebrity white collar, but make sure it's not called boxing because it's not. It's confusing and misleading and a bit of a freak show," Shalom said.

I've not got anything against it, it what it is - I don't have anything against it. But it's entertainment for their followers. If they were playing football, golf, or swimming they'd have a sold out arena, the people are coming to watch them. I think it's a bit funny when boxing media are covering it because it's not boxing. I've nothing against these guys, but just be upfront about it, it's celebrity white collar."

The young promoter feels strongly that Boxxer and Sky Sports, who have an exclusive working relationship, are currently the best option for fighters in UK.

"Sky is the biggest platform in the UK; it has millions and millions of sports fans. It's like no other. For boxers, it's not just about how much money you can make but how famous you can become. And ultimately to be a boxer in this day and age you need to be well known. That's how you're going to make your money and there's no better machine, no better place than Sky," Shalom said.

"The job of a promoter is to get his fighter paid and secondarily to be watched by as many people as possible. That's what Sky does better than anyone. Whether it's live programming, all week on Sky Sports News, the build-up programming for massive nights like this, no one does it like Sky. "