Smith Determined
Wes Smith insists he’ll do all in his power to stay undefeated by taking the fight to Daman Kiwior when they clash next month. The two have been matched for a six-round welterweight showdown that tops the bill at Walsall Town Hall on Saturday February 16. They headline BCB Promotions’ first West Midlands offering of 2019, which will take place two days after Valentine’s Day. The show is called ‘No Love Lost.’ Smith, from Launceston in Cornwall, is also protecting his ‘0’ having racked up three wins, with one TKO, and a draw from four pro bouts so far. The only man he’s failed to beat in a pro ring so far is puncher Rohan Date, who had stopped three out of four opponents beforehand. He wasn’t defeated or knocked out by Date and instead pushed him to a 39-39 draw, winning one and drawing two of the four rounds. Smith, 26, recorded his three straight victories at the Plymouth Guildhall, halting Jan Korec in the third round of his pro debut. Points successes over Andrej Capur and Kevin McCauley that followed were by whitewash, with Date the only man to claim a paid session from him so far. That stalemate took place in Bracknell, Berkshire, so Smith already has experience of upsetting the apple cart away from home. Kiwior, from Poland but based in Wolverhampton, has a point to prove after he was handed his first pro setback last December. The 25-year-old was nudged out by a round in a points loss to Chris Jenkinson, having recorded four straight over-the-distance victories. He was a decorated amateur in his homeland, winning national honours and representing his country at international level, over an unpaid career that spanned over 250 contests. Kiwior is accustomed to the length awaits him, too, having gone six twice already. Smith has never been past four. He said: “Fair play to Damian for taking this, he could have given himself a potentially easier one to winning ways. This is a good test for us both. “I’ve watched a couple of videos of him on YouTube, in fact I’ve seen the one that he lost. I saw weaknesses that I want to expose. “Gameplans are all well and good, but it’s about how you perform on the night. I’ll just go in there and fight aggressively and try to be exciting. I’ll come and bring it. “I don’t feel like I’ve got any pressure on me, even though I’m undefeated. As far as I’m concerned, I ain’t getting beat. “I know he’s got a lot of amateur experience, but it’s a lot different in the pros. The fitness and strength that is required is so much different. “I’m always fit and I’ll be training hard for this one because, on paper, this looks like Damian could be up there with my toughest opponents. “There are some lads who don’t want to take on someone with a similar record until they are right up there. I think you should be doing that as soon as you can. “The winner will push on to bigger things and I need that to be me. I’ve always considered myself a long distance fighter, so the extra couple of rounds might do me good. “Four rounds isn’t always enough time to show what you can do. On February 16, I’m confident you’ll see the best of me.” A stacked under-card will precede the main event, with the nine occupying the home corner a mix of prospects and contenders. The experienced Andrew Robinson, from Redditch, will feature. ‘D’Animal, 34, is a former Midlands and IBO Continental middleweight champion. Halesowen’s Lennox Clarke is still ranked in Britain’s super middleweight top 10. The undefeated hopeful steps into a pro ring for the 20th time, with 19 victories and no defeats. Leon Gower, of Burton, returns after an unsuccessful attempt at the Midlands super bantamweight title, going down to Brad Foster in a thriller last year. Foster is now in line for a crack at the British crown, where Gower is looking to rebuild a path towards starting by registering his seventh success as a pro. Tipton’s Lee Glover has voiced that he’s plotting a path towards glory at 118lbs, having previously challenged for Midlands and English honours. He’s also back in action. Danny Ball, from Kingswinford, laces on the gloves again and is from pugilist stock with older brother Jamie a one-time holder of the Midlands strip in the same division of super welter. Hometown favourite Levi Ferguson, who is born and bred in Walsall, will attempt to add to his two points successes in the super welterweight division. Prodigy Liam Davies, 22 and from Telford in Shropshire, boxes for the second time as a pro, looking to build another reputation after representing England regularly in the amateurs. Female flyweight Dani Hodges, of Burntwood, steps into combat again chasing a hat-trick of paid victories since obtaining a British Boxing Board of Control license. Super welter Ross Hollis, from Swadlincote in Derbyshire, equally aims for a trio of wins since first punching for pay.
Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900. It will be £40 for entry on the door.