Title fight worth the weight

MOST boxers are a little apprehensive about jumping up a weight division.

Mooloolaba’s Brett W Smith will fight for the Pan Asian Boxing Association light welterweight title. Picture: Cade Mooney

MOST boxers are a little apprehensive about jumping up a weight division.

But not Brett W Smith.

Smith, a regular lightweight, will step up to the light welterweight class in Friday night’s Pan Asian Boxing Association title fight against Robert Whaley in Sydney.

Whaley, a genuine light welterweight, will weigh-in slightly heavier than Smith but that’s something the Mooloolaba fighter is hoping to use to his advantage.

“I’ve put on about 2.3kg (to get to 63.5kg) and that’s a fair bit in fighter’s terms,” Smith said yesterday.

“You just walk around slightly heavier but he’ll be a lot heavier than that.

“I haven’t lost any speed though. We fought two weeks ago (against Mick Shaw on the Gold Coast) and I was in between the weight divisions.

“It’ll be interesting to see how it goes in the later rounds and whether his weight plays in any of that.

“I’ll definitely use my speed and the fact I am smaller and lighter to get in and get around him.

“I’ll let him chase me rather than me being the one dishing it out.”

The fight will be at Cronulla Leagues Club and is the main event on Fox Sports’ Friday Night Fights card.

Smith, 30, has never fought Whaley but admitted the Sydney product looked like a solid boxer.

“We know he’s a good mover and he looks the part as a boxer when you watch him on the tape,” he said.

“He ticks all the boxes as a good boxer but for the title he holds, he’s relatively inexperienced.

“He’s only had 10 fights so maybe we can capitalise on that.”

Smith used the Shaw fight, which was on the Michael Katsidis-Michael Lozada undercard, as preparation for Friday night.

“Mick moved around a lot which frustrated me,” he said.

“When I got a chance to hit him he held on and unfortunately the referee didn’t intervene and stop that. It was a very frustrating night but I got the result and I learnt a lot from the fight.”

Smith is looking at defending his Australian lightweight title in October but an opponent and venue are yet to be decided.

Originally published as Title fight worth the weight