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Parker-Wardley: The 21-year-old star aiming to steal the show on O2 Arena undercard
All eyes are on Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley as the heavyweights put their respective WBO and WBA interim titles on the line at the O2 Arena this weekend, live on DAZN PPV.
It is a bout that will have ramifications on the order at the top of boxing’s most glamorous division, with the winner hoping to take on undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk next.
Of course, there is an undercard packed full of talented fighters - including an unbeaten 21-year-old super featherweight that will hope to steal the show.
Royston Barney-Smith, 14-0 (7 KOs) takes on domestic rival Danny Quartermaine, 13-0-1 (4 KOs) in what looks like an evenly-poised contest - but ‘Sugar Boy’ Royston will be confident of a standout performance.
Royston Barney-Smith's amateur pedigree
Still only 21, Barney-Smith has been fighting in the professional ranks since 2022. At one stage it looked like he was destined to be heading to the Olympics, but he opted to turn professional instead.
As an amateur he was victorious on 45 occasions in 50 bouts, earning international honours for England. A two-time champion at the European Championships, Barney-Smith also picked up two national titles.
During his time as an amateur he used Pinewood Starr ABC as his base, a gym made famous by Les Stevens, a fighter-turned-trainer who coached over 200 amateur champions.
Rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in British boxing
Barney-Smith’s has been well-guided throughout the amateurs and into the professional ranks. He started working with Wayne Batten in his adopted city of Southampton, the trainer who is also responsible for local rising stars, including Ryan Garner and Mark Chamberlain.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Shortly after turning professional, Barney-Smith swapped coaches, linking up with Ben Davison - the very man responsible for heavyweight trio Anthony Joshua, Moses Itauma, and Fabio Wardley, one half of Saturday’s main event.
Davison can also cite Tyson Fury and Billy Joe Saunders as world champions he has previously trained, highlighting the pedigree Barney-Smith will have in his corner this weekend.
Discussing his work in the gym, Barney-Smith told BBC Sport in October 2024: "The atmosphere in there is unbelievable.
"We have Olympians, world champions and great prospects in the gym. There is a great level of coaching with Ben, Lee Wylie and Barry Smith.
"You couldn’t wish for a better team. I believe it’s one of the best in the world.”
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Royston Barney-Smith used to fighting on the biggest stages
It was just the second time Barney-Smith had fought professionally when he made his debut under the Wembley arch, defeating Constantin Radoi on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s victory over Dillian Whyte in the summer of 2022.
Already the 21-year-old has visited some impressive arenas across the UK, as well as taking in de facto holy sites in British boxing such as York Hall.
In fact, it won’t be the first time ‘RBS’ has competed at the O2 Arena, having seen out a dominant performance over eight rounds to defeat Briam Barajas for the vacant WBO Youth super featherweight title in July 2024.
Michael Regan/Getty Images
Whilst Barney-Smith has enjoyed fighting at football grounds such as Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there is one arena he has his eyes on.
Born in Poole, Dorset, before crossing over the New Forest to grow up in Southampton, Hampshire, Barney-Smith used to train in the shadow of St Mary’s, the home of the city’s professional football club.
Just like stablemate Ryan Garner, Barney-Smith has ambitions of fighting for a world title at Southampton FC’s home. He told BBC Sport: "I do really believe that one day I can get into St Mary’s for a world title fight.
"But any arena will do me. To be honest, as long as my fans can be there and I have an opportunity to fight for a belt, that is all that matters."
A super featherweight with knockout power
Fourteen fights into his professional career, Barney-Smith has shown the ability to end fights early, despite operating at a smaller weight. He has ended seven fights inside the distance, giving the Dorset-born fighter a KO ratio of 50%.
The 21-year-old goes through spurts of consecutive knockouts, picking up his first stoppage in the first round of his third pro fight. He then secured two more first-round knockouts in his next two fights, before putting together back-to-back stoppages in his eighth and ninth fights.
After two dominant wins on points, Barney-Smith stopped Carlos Rayo and Andres Navarrete to end 2024 with a bang.
The right-handed southpaw will be on the hunt for his eighth career stoppage against Quartermaine this weekend.
Royston-Barney Smith's next target
Barney-Smith has spent most of 2025 eyeing up Danny Quartermaine, a fellow undefeated Brit. The 21-year-old first called out his super featherweight rival in April, before a fight was arranged for the summer.
Barney-Smith and Quartermaine were due to face each other down on the south coast in July, on the undercard of Ryan Garner’s win over Reece Belotti, but injury and illness caused the fight to be postponed.
Three months down the line, both men will be hoping to claim a big scalp and preserve their unbeaten records.
Despite Quartermaine being seven years Barney-Smith’s senior, the pair have a similar amount of professional experience. The 28-year-old Quartermaine has fought 14 times, winning 13 and sharing a technical draw with Jack Bateson in 2024, with the doctor intervening after both fighters were badly cut due to a head clash.
What Quartermaine possesses that Barney-Smith does not is silverware, in the form of the IBF and WBO European titles. Whilst not too highly-regarded, the belts offer a stepping stone into the world rankings, and Barney-Smith can take another big step in his development with victory on Saturday night.
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