“You’ve got to put yourself out your comfort zones” – Dalton Smith discusses recent training trip to America | Boxing News

DALTON SMITH will be hoping a recent trip to Los Angeles training with Manny Robles proves worthwhile on Saturday night.

The British super-lightweight champion makes the third defence of his title against former holder Sam Maxwell at the Sheffield Arena.

Smith will be headlining at home inside the city’s famous venue for the second time in ten months having won the vacant Lonsdale belt against Sam O’Maison with a highlight reel performance. The result secured back-to-back sixth round stoppages for the 26-year-old. That was followed up by victories against Kaisee Benjamin and Billy Allington where the highly regarded talent failed to hit the heights of previous displays.

Smith v Maxwell was initially scheduled for April but a cut to the champion in the win against Allington failed to heal in time allowing him to look at ways to improve as a fighter.

“The fight falling through the first time I was able to sit back and be like what more can I add to my game?” said Smith in an online featurette from Matchroom Boxing called Beneath the Thunder.

Training at Robles gym offered the Brit a look at a different way of life and boxing in L.A. He revealed it was the idea of Grant Smith, his trainer and father, to travel Stateside.

“Boxing’s not about glitz and glamour,” Dalton said. “You’ve got to put yourself out your comfort zones and that’s what I’m doing.

“It’s always good to have someone looking on the outside seeing your faults, what you can work and that’s what my dad wanted. He wanted me to come over here and learn some new stuff and take back home and we can learn on as well.”

The YouTube film showed Robles giving Smith some advice on things such as ring positioning and seemed impressed why what he witnessed. Previous British fighters have spoke of their trips to America, including visits to Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym, and recalled how tough the sparring was and how every fighter wants to prove something.

Speaking about his own experience Smith said: “In the UK I’m a big name, I’m a big prospect but I come out here to America I’m nobody. Only thing I am is fresh meat to them and they wanna show me a thing or two. That’s what it’s all about.

“I’m stepping up to the next levels and I can’t wait to show everybody what I’m about.”

Sam Maxwell stands in the way of Smith winning the British title outright. The Liverpudlian is 11 years older than his opponent but has only fought on four more occasions.

In March 2019 the 34-year-old became a viral sensation when he fought back from the brink of defeat to stop Sabri Sediri in the tenth and final round. Since then, only Alejandro Meneses has inflicted a defeat on Maxwell with a ninth-round stoppage in their battle for a fringe world belt at 140lbs.

Prior to that the Hackney-born Scouser claimed wins over Joe Hughes as well as a controversial victory over Akeem Ennis-Brown.

“He’s coming to take my head off and that’s how boxing is,” Smith said. “He’s no friend. He wants what I’ve got and I’ve gotta stop that. This is my hardest fight of my career.

“Anybody who’s fighting Dalton Smith, they beat me it’s the golden ticket. That’s why I have to come in 100 per cent fully focused.”