Dalton Smith defends his British super lightweight title against Billy Allington on Saturday, February 18 at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham in Nottingham, England. The pair squares off in the scheduled for twelve rounds championship bout serving as the co-feature on the card, topped by Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara for WBA featherweight title. The event airs live on DAZN.
Smith (13-0, 10 KOs), a native of Sheffield, Yorkshire makes the second defense of the belt he claimed via sixth-round TKO against Sam O’maison in front of his hometown crowd last August. In his first defense last November in Manchester, the 26-year-old scored a unanimous decision against Kaisee Benjamin and secured his fourth win for 2022.
Isleworth, London-born Allington (10-1-4) was in action last November when he faced Ben Fields in a bout that ended in a draw. In February 2022 he took a split decision against Jamie Robinson, as well as the vacant English super lightweight strap.
‘I’m very confident I can get this one finished within the distance’
“The British title has a lot of history,” said Smith. “Every British fighter wants it and I’ve always said I want the British title for keeps. I think it was after the O’maison win when I got home and I was looking at the belt and that’s when it hit me, what I’d achieved. That’s when it really hit me. I remember watching the ringwalk back thinking, ‘wow’, if that’s what I can do in my first headliner then there’s going to be some special nights coming.”
“Billy Allington is my next opponent. Billy is experienced, he’s durable and I’m expecting him to be fit, he’s got a good work rate. I just feel Billy will struggle with the movement, the angles, the power and the speed. I think slowly over the rounds he’ll run out of ideas. The British title is definitely staying with me. The longer the fight goes on the more I’ll suss him out. I’m very confident I can get this one finished within the distance.”
‘The most crucial time for me in my career
Late last year, Dalton Smith, a former Team GB member, signed a new multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
“When my contract was up everyone was on me,” said Smith. “There was a lot of attention, and a lot of promoters were after me. It was nice to see because it proved my name is getting out there and I’m showing people what Dalton Smith is about. The top promoters are wanting me in their stables so it shows that the hard work is paying off.
“The team that Matchroom have behind them, that’s where I’ve been since I had my debut in Nottingham. It’s not just Eddie and Frank, it filters down to the media team, the ticket girls and that. Everyone gets on and it’s good vibes. I’ve got one of the best teams in boxing, and that’s their job to go out and do their best for me and that’s what they’re doing.
“The nights I’ve dreamt of are within touching distance for me now. For 18 months I’ve got to work hard. I always work hard but this is the most crucial time for me in my career. If you want something, this is how it is. It’s true grit and hard work. I believe I’ve got the talent. I believe I’m going to be up there with the very best Sheffield has produced. So I’ve got to handle that pressure. There’s some big nights coming.”
In the main event, Leigh Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) of Gedling, Nottinghamshire defends his WBA featherweight title in a long-awaited showdown against Mauricio Lara (25-2-1, 18 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico. Also ont he card, Ireland’s Gary Cully (15-0, 9 KOs) and American Wilfredo Flores (10-0-1, 5 KOs) battle it out for the vacant WBA Intercontinental lightweight belt.
Get Wood vs Lara full fight card and start time.
In Australia, the event airs live on Sunday, February 19.
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