Stephen Smith is aiming to keep the Smith family bandwagon rolling in style tomorrow night as he faces former World title challenger Mauricio Javier Munoz for the WBC World Silver Super Featherweight title in a crunch eliminator clash at the First Direct Arena in Leeds live on Sky Sports.
The Smith brothers are on fire with the youngest sibling Callum scoring another sensational stoppage win at the weekend to defend his WBC International Super Middleweight title against Tobias Webb in Cardiff while on the same bill the eldest Smith, Callum’s fellow Super Middleweight Paul, landed a stoppage win as he looks to secure a World title shot against WBO champion Arthur Abraham.
With British Light Middleweight champion Liam closing in on the outright ownership of the belt, there seems no stopping the rise of the Smith brothers, and Stephen is keen to keep the run going in Leeds as he closes in on a World title shot of his own.
“The success we’re having as a family is unheard of and it’s getting recognised more and more,” said Smith. “In Liverpool you are seeing more kids want to get into boxing and looking up to us as role models and that’s nice to have, someone that people look up to and they want to achieve what you have done and follow in your footsteps.
“Success breeds success and that’s what is happening in Liverpool, we’re all doing well and feeding off each other’s success, and it’s only going to get better.
“The talent coming through in Liverpool is huge and if we all achieve our potential and get those World titles then the opportunity for stadium fights in Liverpool would be amazing. The atmosphere around the build up to Froch vs. Groves has been huge and just to be there on fight night will be unbelievable, it’s breaking records and it makes you dream about doing something like that in Liverpool in the summer of next year.
“It’s not so much who is first to get to the World title as we all want to get there and Paul and I are getting close now. Paul won a National title in the amateurs and I followed him then Liam followed me, so it’s pressure on Callum really as he had to become National champion because we all did – and he did several times.
“It’s going to be the same now, he’s blitzing everyone and breaking records but he’s got three older brothers that all hold British titles at the same time so there’s always pressure on him but he’s holding his own and treading his own path, he’s doing brilliantly and it doesn’t matter what his brothers are doing, if we didn’t exist people would still be talking about him because he is that good, but it’s nice that we are all enjoying success as a family, we’re all proud of each other and long may it continue.
“We all try to outdo each other in the gym and on the runs, but it’s a friendly rivalry and we’re just trying to drive each other on – and we’re more nervous on each other’s fight nights than on our own.”
Smith’s clash with Munoz is part of an exciting night of action in Leeds as local star Josh Warrington puts his Commonwealth Featherweight title on the line against Martin Lindsay, with the vacant British strap also up for grabs.
Kal Yafai fights for his first pro title as he meets Yaqub Kareem for the vacant Commonwealth Super Flyweight crown while his younger brother Gamal Yafai makes his pro debut and Gavin McDonnell defends his British Super Bantamweight title against Josh Wale in a Yorkshire derby.
Hull’s Lightweight star Tommy Coyle, newly crowned English Light Welterweight champion Tyrone Nurse, Brentwood’s Super Featherweight Martin J. Ward and Middlesbrough Cruiserweight Simon Vallily are all in action.
