Smith proves the doubters wrong

He won all four rounds in their light middleweight contest to claim a comprehensive 40-36 points win.

Journeyman Ryan Clark in the black and white shorts weighed in at 11st 9lb with Lutonian James Smith, 22, sporting the blue and green trunks, tipping the scales at 11st 8lb.

The fight was virtually all Smith from the start, pinning his man in the corner with a flurry of good shots in the opening seconds.

He tried to use his left jab to good effect and worked Clark’s body whenever possible.

Clark strangely hung his chin out to dry, offering no guard at all, and Smith continued to press home his advantage with a right uppercut and straight left.

Mocking Clark relaxed on the ropes in the second round, challenging the Lutonian to hurt him.

Smith managed one good left and all Clark could offer was a tame right slap as he fell further behind.

Both boxers threw but failed to land punches in the third, with Clark guilty of swinging and missing more often than not.

And Smith, who lives in Stopsley and used to attend Putteridge High School, once again took the round with a couple of good rights against the inert Clark.

Knowing he needed a knockout to win, Clark came out much sharper for the final round catching Smith with a number of good shots.

A flurry of action saw Clark land both a sharp left and right, although Smith did manage one good punch on the bell as he claimed a comprehensive victory and condemned 21-year-old Clark to his 36th defeat.