WHEN Paul Smith stated his confidence was ‘sky high’ yesterday he wasn’t just speaking metaphorically.
Perched in a booth on the Echo wheel, a few hundred feet above the venue in which he will defend his British title in a fortnight, the Liverpool super-middleweight sat comfortably as he pledged he will be at the top of his game when he meets city challenger Tony Dodson.
From up there you can see for miles around. But between now and March 12th knows that all eyes will be on him and Dodson.
“I like it this way,” shrugged the champion, who beat another Scouser, Tony Quigley, over 12 rounds in October to claim the Lonsdale belt.
“I’m used to all the hype and attention after the Quigley fight.
“Being the best in Liverpool doesn’t bother me. I’m the best in Britain. I’ve got the belt to prove it.
“This fight will give Joe Public the chance to see that there’s only one top fighter from Liverpool and that’s me.”
Dodson has begged to differ.
A former British super-middle champion, the self-styled Garston Warrior has been here before.
After beating Allan Foster to claim the vacant title in Belfast in November 2003, Dodson has had two failed attempts to reclaim it, firstly against Nottingham’s Carl Froch four years ago and then more recently against Quigley at the Echo Arena last March.
At 27, Smith has two years on Dodson but made his paid debut four years later.
Despite the younger man having just one less fight on his card – 28-1-0 to 24-5-1 – Dodson claimed last week that he has been the ‘gaffer of Merseyside for the past 10 years’ and that it’s time to return to office.
Smith sees it otherwise.
“According to Dodson I’ve got a padded record and have never fought anyone, even though I beat the kid that beat him,” he points out.
“Some of the contradictions he produces are laughable.
“I’ve got all my marbles and wits about me. He’s saying all the wars he’s been in will be in his favour and that’ll win the fight for him because I haven’t been in a war yet.
“Ask anyone who knows boxing and they will tell you straight. The less wars you’ve been in the better. When I have to go to the well it’s all there. I’m not sure you can say that about Dodson anymore.
“He can talk all he wants. Let him get on with it. When we get in the ring it’s just me and him. I’ll be prepared properly and I know what I’m going to do to him.”
Smith’s win over Quigley was the first time he’d been asked to go the full 12 round distance.
Tellingly, it was in the later rounds he swayed the judges back in his favour to wrest the title away from Dodson’s conqueror.
It was far from Smith’s best performance but proved he can dig deep when it counts. “Going into this fight I know I outlasted the kid who outlasted Dodson,” says Smith.
“Quigley came on strong in the last two rounds but I came on stronger. Plus I had Quigley at 14 weeks notice. Dodson got Quigley who’d had just two weeks notice and still lost.
“No disrespect to Quigley but it was a bad performance by me. I didn’t box well at all but I still won the Lonsdale belt. I showed a lot of heart and determination to do that.
“I took the belt away from him. I went for it in the championship rounds. People were doubting me but that’s where it counted. That’s where I excelled. It gives you an added confidence and mine is sky high.”
TICKETS for ‘The Pride of Merseyside’ bill are available from the arena box office on 0844 8000 400 or online at: www.echoarena.com.
