Sitting back in an armchair, speaking quietly, Dalton Smith does not look like a fighter biding his time ahead of his final workout before a crucial defence of his British title. He is perfectly calm.
“Every fighter’s different in how they approach a fight. For me I’m just easy going,” he told Sky Sports. “You get yourself switched on and that’s how you execute your game plans.
“Some fighters, they prepare for a fight with emotions,” Smith continued.
“I’m going to get opponents down the line where they’re going to try and push the needle in a little bit, try and trigger a few emotions, it’s just about staying calm. That’s the way you’ve got to be in the ring and that’s the way I fight and that’s the way I like to keep it.
Although Benjamin (right) has come down in weight, Smith looks to have the edge in size
“It’s about keeping your emotions intact, staying calm and that’s what brings the best out of you.
“I know myself, put the pressure on me and I can stay calm and collected. This is all this is, it’s just another fight. I’ve got to go in there and do what Dalton Smith does and I’ll come out victorious.”
On Saturday at the AO Arena in Manchester, he fights Kaisee Benjamin, a determined operator from Birmingham, live on Sky Sports.
Benjamin has only lost once and that was in a three-round tournament bout very early in his career. He’s moved down from 147lbs to challenge Smith for his British super-lightweight championship.
“He’s going to be up for it, it’s a big night for Kaisee,” Smith said. “I was expecting Kaisee to be a lot bigger, obviously coming down in the weight but I felt much bigger than him stood there. I’m expecting a good fight.”
Smith, though, is certain he can handle the physical challenge. “I’ve always thought he’s fought at a higher weight than he should be. They say people carry power when they come down but sometimes when you’re taking that little bit extra off, that little bit takes it out of you. It’s not always the case that you carry the power when you come down,” he said.
“I’ve been there before, it’s actually when you move up you take your power to the next level. We’ll find out Saturday and we’ll see what he’s about.
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Gary Logan and Andy Scott preview Smith’s bout against Benjamin, with Smith admitting it will be a ‘dangerous’ fight
“At the end of the day it’s after that first round that you’re seeing how each other’s approaching the fight and after a couple of rounds you’ve sussed each other out, you know what each other’s planning on doing and we go from there.
“But you can’t predict anything until after the first bell goes.”
If the champion is icily cool going into this fight, his trainer and father, Grant Smith will not be quite so calm.
“It’s bit different for my dad, he’s my coach and also my father but at the end of the day his son’s going into a fight. Obviously there’s nerves there but the proof’s in the pudding. It works for us,” the boxer said.
“It’s my dad, he’s not going to put me into the ring if he knows I’m not fully prepared. I always say I’ve got one of the best work ethics out there. I’m always in the gym. I have full faith in my dad and it’s hard to get that in a coach. He is my father and he’s got my best interests at heart and he prepares me better than anybody could ever get me.”
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While Grant Smith is well known for training his son, he has trained world champions before. Indeed he left the weigh-in in Manchester to travel to Sheffield to corner Sunny Edwards for his IBF world flyweight title defence against Felix Alvarado.
Many see Dalton Smith as a world champion in the making. The 25-year-old wants to make two more British title defences and win the Lonsdale belt outright. But his ambitions will not stop there.
“I’ve done it from five, six years old and we’re slowly creeping up to where we’ve had them dreams. These are the crucial moments now I’ve got to get right to get to the pinnacle and reach those big stardom nights,” he said. “These are the stepping stones along the way.
“My dad’s on the journey together with me,” he continued. “Me and my dad we’re going to conquer the world together.”
Watch Smith vs Benjamin on the undercard of the Natasha Jonas-Marie-Eve Dicaire world title fight this Saturday live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm and Sky Sports Main Event at 10pm.
