SMITH TO BRING THE HEAT AGAINST COPE

Hot super-featherweight talent Mitchell Smith has returned from training camp in Spain and is ready to bring the heat on rival Peter Cope.

The unbeaten Harrow Weald star faces Hartlepool’s undefeated Cope on Wednesday 16th July at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, with the Vacant English Super-Featherweight Championship on the line, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/HD 490 and Virgin Ch. 546).

Smith, 21, completed a week and half training camp at the state-of-the-art gym in Marbella run by former British and European Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin, racking up top quality training and sparring.

“The training camp at the MGM in Marbella was fantastic.  It was very hot out there, quite different to training over here.  For me it was about training hard first, then enjoying the weather, relaxing and recovering after.” Said Mitchell.

“I was sparring with unbeaten prospect Tom Stalker, and young Irish talent Declan Geraghty, which was decent southpaw sparring for me to prepare for Cope and we got some good rounds in.  In between the mountain runs I was training three times a day and it was probably the hardest I’ve trained in my life.  I definitely feel the benefits,”

“I always go away to a training camp over here, but this is the first time I’ve been to a training camp abroad and I spent a week and half out there, it will definitely be something I’ll be doing in the future for fights.”

“I’m fit to fight now, I just can’t wait to get in there and show what I can do.”

Smith, regarded as one of Britain’s best young talents on the scene, is looking forward to showing his full range of skills against Cope and continue his march towards the British title.

“A lot of people are saying the fight against Cope is 50-50, but for me, I believe that I’m a class above him and I’ll show just what I can do.  I’ll show exactly what I’ve been telling people all along, that I can go on to bigger and better things,”

“Some people have had a pop at me for looking past Cope, but that’s not the case, I’m fully focussed for this fight because I know there’s bigger stuff beyond him and I can’t lose.  I’m looking at giving him a real boxing lesson and then knocking him out, win the English title and then focus on the British title,”

“Right now I’ve got a few last spars left, I’m polishing up on a few bits and getting the last few pounds off.  I’m really looking forward to standing in front of him at the weigh-in, because some people have questioned about me making the weight, and showing him that I’ve done it with it ease,”

“It’s easy doing what I’ve been doing against journeymen, showing that I can hit with both hands, showing that I can box, but people are going to question if I can do it against a decent fighter.  Well, my last opponent Mark Evans was unbeaten, Cope is 9-0, against these guys I’ll show what I can do and just get better and better.  I’ll show how dominant and nasty I can be.”

Smith v Coper features as chief-support on an action-packed show headlined by Frank Buglioni’s challenge for the Vacant Southern Area Super-Middleweight title against Sam Couzens.

Also on the card, Penge’s Bradley Skeete returns to action in an eight-round contest against Steve Pearce, completing the card is Wembley Light-Middleweight Gary Corcoran, Chingford super-middleweight Tom Baker, Islington welterweight Georgie Kean, Canning Town light-welterweight Billy Morgan, Cardiff super-featherweight Romeo Romaeo, and the highly anticipated pro-debuts of Clapham light-heavyweightKirk Garvey (2012 ABA Light-Heavyweight Champion) and Raynes Park welterweightLouis Adolphe (2012 ABA Light-Welterweight Champion).

Tickets, priced at £40 and £60, are available from Ticketmaster 0844 844 04444 orticketmaster.co.uk

Doors open at 6pm.