Dalton "Thunder" Smith put on a spectacle in his hometown of Sheffield, England, to defeat Sam O'maison on Saturday.
The 25-year-old was a picture of patience and calculation as he picked his spots against 31-year-old O'maison, earning a TKO in the sixth round with several well-timed combinations. O'maison, clearly weary of Smith's power advantage, was hesitant to open up against his younger opponent. Instead, his tentativeness worked against him as Smith was equally as patient but much more decisive when opportunities presented themselves.
"I prepared the best I could," O'maison said immediately after the fight. "But at the end of the day, Dalton’s a class fighter."
Smith knocked O'maison down in the third round and progressively made things worse for his compatriot as the fight wore on, with O'maison becoming increasingly bloodied towards the end of the bout. Things went from bad to worse in the sixth, and ultimately final, round as O'maison was knocked down twice quickly towards the end of the round to end the fight.
Smith improves to 12-0 with 10 KOs, leaving with the British super lightweight title. He's already looking towards the future, although there were no specifics given in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's title victory.
"Look, my main job was to win this [prestigious] belt. It's something I've always wanted to do," Smith said. "Whatever's put in front of me by my team and [Matchroom boss] Eddie [Hearn], that's who I'll fight. I'm not one for calling people out. I'm not one for badmouthing. I get in and fight whoever I need to fight."
Check out below for running commentary and highlights of the undercard and main event.