Brendon and Brad Smith’s incredible journey as boxing trainers

A family in country Queensland has built an unrivalled boxing dynasty which has lasted generations and is still going strong today. Check out the incredible highs and lows of Brad and Brendon Smith’s boxing journey.

Darling Downs boxing trainers Brendon and Brad Smith in their backyard boxing ring.

In a small country town just outside of Toowoomba, there is a family which has built a boxing dynasty which has lasted generations.

Father-son duo Brad and Brendon Smith have changed the game of boxing in Queensland and helped change hundreds of lives in the process.

As you walk through the backyard of their Pittsworth home, the generations of boxing passion is felt from the various promotional posters to the boxing ring, which was built just five years ago to help train of one Australia’s hottest boxing prospects - Jackson ‘Stoneleigh’ Griffiths.

As trainer and promoter, Brendon has taken boxers across Australia and the world, taking fighters like Michael Katsidis to some of the biggest arenas in the United States and the United Kingdom while working with some of the biggest and most respected names in the boxing promoting industry in Oscar De La Hoya and Don King

The Smith boxing journey began with Brad several decades ago.

“I started when I was only eight years old, this town was a town of only 1200 people and there was not much sport here and an old fella by the name of Digger Martin used to train here,” he said.

“We ended up with him and everyone in the town wanted to fight.

“Out of the 1200 odd people in the town we won three Queensland titles back in the 50s and for that to happen back in those days, fighting was strong right across Queensland and it sort of put Pittsworth on the map then and now Jackson’s took it off the map the way he’s going, blown it out of the water.

Darling Downs boxing trainers Brendon and Brad Smith.

“When I came out of the army, I started training in a shed up here in a little garage.

“I trained a few boys here, we won a few fights, lost a few and then we went to Toowoomba. “I trained there for many years and as time went by Brendon took over.”

Brad’s training helped lay down the foundations for boxing in the region but Brendon taking over as a trainer and promoter was the match which sparked the boxing explosion across the Darling Downs.

Despite his father’s obsession with the sport, Brendon never believed it would be the path he would go down.

“I never ever thought I would be a trainer,” Brendon said.

“It all happened with Lekaysha’s father Bruce ‘Sugar’ Woodbridge and he asked me to do a little bit with him so I started training him and a couple of dad’s old boys then joined us.

“Then before we knew it, we had fighters going everywhere.

“Young Sugar he was an amazing little boxer, he won an Australian title and now here I am training his daughter and raising her.

“It’s amazing over all the years, the next generations have come through as well, there was never a plan it just started but when you become committed, it becomes a responsibility and you feel responsible for it so it just grew from there.

“I didn’t have much experience with promoting or anything it was just trial by error but we weren’t afraid to have a crack at anything.”

While Brendon has been the face of Smithy’s Boxing Gym and TGW and Smithy’s Promotions, the Smith boxing legacy extends further than just the duo, with his mother Esme equally as invested.

“She’s also been heavily involved from back in the day when we were kids, she’d be on the phone matching fights all night,” Brendon said.

“She is more behind the scenes but she is a huge influence to boxing and she’s looked after so many young boxers the State of Origin cup that goes to and from here is actually named after her, it is the Esme Smith Cup.”

The Smith Family weren’t just great trainers, with Brayd Smith - son of Brendon and grandson of Brad - one of Australia’s brightest talents before his death following a fight in 2015.

Brayd Smith after a fight in 2014. Photo: Kevin Farmer.

The pain and heartbreak of losing his son still takes its toll on Brendon today but he has refused to throw in the towel.

“Our lives changed unbelievably and it’s still upsetting every day,” he said.

“I won’t lie, it is hard every day, but we made a promise we’d keep doing so that’s what we are doing.

“One of his great mates Jack Asis, had to fight for the world title four weeks after and I think that’s what kept us all going.

“Life struggles every day but we will keep going, that’s all we can do with it.

“Brayd was amazing, he was the greatest young man I’ve ever trained, he was the greatest boxer, he was what it was all about and a gentleman inside and out.

“He was the most well-loved boxer you’d ever see around the country and around the world.

“He fought in front of the King in Thailand, in history it had never been done before, he was the World Youth Champion and it was the King’s birthday.

“He had been invited to fight in front of the palace in the biggest Muay Thai show but he was a special invitation to fight boxing in front of hundreds of thousands of people there.”

Brad said Brayd was also a positive figurehead for the sport as he would always work to improve the name and reputation of boxing.

“Boxing has got a bit of a bad name over the years but most of them are real good people,” he said.

Since his son’s death in 2015, Brendon has held a fight night every year in March with Brayd Smith Memorial belts up for grabs.

The colour and passion of the night is like no other and there was an unforgettable moment this year, when young rising star Lekaysha Woodbridge won the World United Championship Brayd Smith Belt.

Lekaysha Woodbridge celebrates her win in March 2024. Picture: Darren Burns

“It was very special and very emotional too, her dad’s not with us any more so we have had a couple of emotional runs Lekaysha and myself,” Brendon said.

“She went down and won the Australian title that her father did, it is special and such a beautiful belt and a special time of year and we will keep doing them shows.”

Between Brad and Brendon, the pair have trained countless Queensland, Australian and world champions and the secret to their success as trainers is simple.

“Having genuine feeling for them and they’ve got to have it for you as well,” Brad said.

This mindset has been mirrored by Brendon since following in his father’s footsteps.

“If I’m looking from the outside watching dad work with them, the self belief he brings out of them is incredible, they give 180 per cent,” he said.

“When you work with them, they are all special, if you don’t have that special bond with them, it is not going to work.

Brendon Smith. Picture: Bev Lacey

“So you got to be able to work together on the same page so everyone I work with I consider as special.

“I do take a lot of great pride in that to deliver the opportunities and fight for the opportunities.

“It’s not easy promoting for them, it is hard, it is very expensive to do but we do get great support from Toowoomba, Pittsworth, the area and Australia that does help but it not an easy game, it is hard with a lot of hurdles in it.

“So when you see the belts come up and their hands are raised you do get a lot of pride from doing that.”

Today, Brad and Brendon have helped train Jackson Griffiths, who is the current WBC World Youth Champion and the headline bout of every Big Fights card.

“He’s a good boy, we’ve trained thousands of boys over the years and Brendon’s had some real good world champions but this is the first fella that has come through with me,” Brad said.

Pittsworth boxer Jackson 'Stoneleigh' Griffiths with Brad Smith after defending his Australasia Welterweight Title belt on June 14 2024. Picture: Darren Burns.

“He’s brilliant all around, not just as a fighter but as a bloke too, a top fella.

“I trained him with Gary Ruhle, he won an Australian title and Gary gives us a hand with the boys here.”

Amazingly, Brad had been out of the game for more than 20 years before coming across Griffiths.

“I still remember the phone call, dad ringing me and saying ‘I got this young lad here, he’s been breaking in a horse I’ve been training him up and I might train him up for one fight and then I’ll send him into you’,” Brendon said.

“I said ‘yeah I’ve heard that one before, I know where this is going, this will be the comeback’.

“So then he had them couple of fights and we talked about turning him pro early but how he has come has been amazing.

“He’s just perfect for what we all stand behind and believe.

“He’s just a good genuine bloke, you don’t get better blokes than Jackson Griffiths, he’s a good genuine country lad, he’s a pleasure to work with and to see the relationship of him and Dad, it is special and it’s an honour to work with this young bloke.

“I love the humbleness of him, and they’re become unique in sport and Jed Morris is another and that’s how Brayd was.”