Kyle Smith will headline his first show in just his second professional outing when he tops the bill at The Mill on Sunday
Kyle Smith will take top billing for his maiden headline show in just his second professional bout when he features at The Mill on Sunday.
For most fighters, such a prominent billing for your second contest would prove nerve-wracking. Not so for Smith, who feels completely at ease having competed in front of Belfast crowds practically throughout his entire career.
The 20-year-old is well accustomed to being in the limelight. Just last month, he made his professional bow on the undercard of Lewis Crocker’s world title victory over Paddy Donovan at Windsor Park, reports the Irish Mirror.
Many boxers toil for years just to secure a place on a stadium card, yet Belfast-born Smith secured his spot on the bill for his maiden outing as a professional.
“It was amazing,” he reflects, looking back on his debut, “It was like a once in a lifetime experience, but hopefully I will have a few more nights like that and the dream is to headline my own show in Windsor Park one day for a world title.
“The whole event was so surreal, it was unreal. And you wouldn’t get nights like that in Belfast if it wasn’t for the likes of Lewis Crocker and Caoimhín Agyarko – who is big enough now to headline his own show in Belfast.
“It’s great for opportunities for boxers like myself and other young, up and coming fighters. It’s great to get to showcase your skills on the big stage.”
Making the leap to professional boxing whilst still in your teens isn’t typical in the sport. It wasn’t as though he struggled as an amateur either.
Throughout the years, he built up a remarkable record featuring numerous national championships and only a single loss on Irish soil. Making the switch to the professional circuit “was always going to happen” he explains, so why not get started sooner rather than later?
“It is a business at the end of the day.”
Smith has been set on turning professional for as long as he can truly recall. At 11 years old, he became part of the Holy Trinity boxing club in Belfast, a gym that has produced professionals including Crocker, Agyarko and Sean McComb.
There’s no hidden formula behind the club’s achievements, simply dedication and outstanding training.
“There’s top level coaches, coaches who have been there for plenty of years. There’s about 15 coaches in Holy Trinity, and it’s a family. Everyone gels and it works, and the results show it.”
Smith has emerged as one of Belfast boxing’s brightest prospects over recent years. Coming up in the renowned fighting city, he’s had numerous motivational role models to admire, and they’re consistently willing to offer support.
After all, they once stood where Smith stands today.
“Belfast is so lucky to have so many talented and inspirational boxers for people like myself.
“Since I’ve been a kid, I trained with John Breen’s gym in Belfast and I was always looking up to those guys and the likes of Jamie Conlan as well, Martin McCullough and Feargal McCrory and that’s just to name a few.”
He went on to say: “Lewis was up to Holy Trinity a few days after he won the IBF, and Lewis turned round to me and said ‘listen if you ever need anything, I’m only a text away’.
“And even Carl Frampton as well, he’s spoken to my Dad and he’s said ‘if you ever need any advice you can come to me’.
“People like that, Lewis, Caoimhín, Frampton – they’ve been there, they’ve done it all. They were once in my shoes at one point as a young kid trying to make a breakthrough in the sport. It’s brilliant to have people like that.”
Throughout our conversation, Smith frequently mentions his family and how they have supported him on his journey from a “hyper” child who used to go around “punching the price tags in Tesco”, to a talented prospect with the world at his feet.
“Once I started taking an interest in boxing, my Dad has been there pretty much every time I have put a pair of gloves on more or less,” Smith explained. “He saw the spark and he kept feeding it.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere today probably if it wasn’t for my father and my whole family as well. My Mum, she’s my personal chef!”.
“My family helps me a lot with my boxing and they support me. They look after me. There’s been ups and downs with boxing over the years but my family have always been there to keep me motivated.”
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