Liam Smith postpones WBO title fight against Sadam Ali after illness

Liam Smith (right) has won 26 and drawn one of his 28 fights

Britain's Liam Smith has postponed his attempt to regain the WBO light-middleweight title because of illness.

The 29-year-old was set to meet American Sadam Ali in New York on 12 May.

Liverpool's Smith lost the 154lb title when suffering the only defeat of his career against Mexico's Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in 2016.

"I'm bitterly disappointed. I've been out of training for eight days," Smith said.

He said illness had "severely impacted" on his training schedule, leaving him with "no choice" but to postpone the bout.

"We're not sure exactly what was wrong with me but it appears to be some sort of allergic reaction," Smith added.

"I'm not injured and I'm hoping that the fight can be rescheduled quickly.

"Ali is a world-class fighter and I need to be fully prepared for when I step in the ring with him."

Ali, 29, won the title when he beat Miguel Cotto in December.