Undefeated junior welterweight Dalton ‘Thunder’ Smith 15-0 (11) ended the reign of Commonwealth champion ‘Super’ Sam Maxwell 17-2 (11) with a one-punch knockout in the seventh round at Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England on Saturday night.
The end might have been dramatic, but the 26-year-old Smith needed to battle through adversity of his own after being cut over the eyes from an unintentional head clash with the taller Maxwell, 34, in the fifth.
That brought about some urgency in Smith, who battled through the blood to dominate the sixth and went on with the job in the seventh, landing a crunching right hand brought Maxwell down. Referee Kevin Parker started a count but after looking into Maxwell’s glazed eyes decided it was wiser to wave off the contest.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:34.
Smith showed his class by waiting for Maxwell to recover before beginning his celebrations.
“It was the first time I’ve had a cut and felt the blood pouring. And I thought ‘this is why I’m a warrior and this is what I’m made for’,” said Smith, who was making the third defence of the British 140-pound belt.
“But I smelt blood and thought ‘this is where I turn it up’. I needed critics asking me if I was that good and I needed Sam to bring this out of me.
“In my career I want to become a world champion but I made a bit of history in my city to win the British title outright.”
Smith was quickly out the blocks against Maxwell and for the first couple of rounds it looked like it might end early. Maxwell tried to use his range to box behind the jab and both boxers landed hard shots to end the third.
Smith turned up the heat in the fourth but the head clash in the fifth threatened to turn the momentum in Maxwell’s favour. Fortunately for Smith, his corner was able to stem the flow of blood and when the action resumed in the sixth, he was back in control.
The dramatic finish in the seventh had the ringside crowd on their feet.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said the nature of the victory will further enhance Smith’s profile on a global scale.
“The cuts changed the fight and made Dalton Smith more aggressive,” the Matchroom Boxing boss said.
“In this sport people always want to question you. He has produced a knockout that will go viral around the world and will put the division on notice.
“That was the sort of performance and knockout that makes a statement.”
Smith has fought on some big cards in recent years, including Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara, Kenichi Ogawa vs Joe Cordina and Kiko Martinez vs Josh Warrington. That sort of exposure, followed by his highlight reel knockout, will only see his star continue to shine.
