YOU know you’re doing something right when Carl Frampton is dropping your name.
And those welcome words of encouragement from the former two-weight world champion put the cap on a week to remember for Kyle Smith, after the Holy Trinity ace caught the eye en route to capturing his first Ulster elite crown.
“I was especially happy to see Kyle Smith claiming the middleweight title as he is also a former pupil of my old school, Glengormley High, who I have always rated as a good prospect,” said ‘The Jackal’, writing in his weekly ‘Sunday Life’ column.
The 19-year-old had a baptism of fire in his first competitive outings at 75kg, first facing Sacred Heart’s reigning Irish U18 champion Philip Rooney in the Ulster semi-final, before getting the better of St John’s, Swatragh’s teak-tough Eoghan Quinn in the decider.
Having been touted as one to watch for so long, any pressure rested lightly on Smith’s shoulders as he got the job done in impressive fashion.
“I didn’t enter in 2024 because I’d only turned 18, and I just felt I wasn’t maybe physically mature enough - but the goal from January last year was to build towards winning my first elite title,” he said.
“It was a good, hard fight [against Rooney], I was glad to get through in the end, then Eoghan Quinn in the final - a seasoned operator, six-time national champion, hard-hitter. They were two really tough tests.
“But I’ve had plenty of role models to look up to through the years – Sean McComb, Caoimhin Agyarko, Barry McReynolds recently turned professional, then Anthony Cacace has been up at the club as well doing bits and pieces. Then you’re sparring regularly with the likes of Jon McConnell… it’s a brilliant environment to be part of.
“You see having those kind of champions about, it inspires everyone else.”
Smith was right to take his time adjusting to a rapid rise through the weight classes, having competed in the 2019 European schoolboy championships at 43kg. He was on Frampton’s radar then too, receiving a good luck message before flying out for Tbilisi.
It was during lockdown when he started to spring up, emerging from the Covid period as a strapping 60 kilo boxer – with that trajectory continuing ever since.
“I did a good bit of growing,” he smiles.
“I started strength and conditioning then, my muscles were developing well, I started feeling really strong. And what I’ve noticed is, as I move up the weights, I’m still able to carry my movement and speed.
“Sometimes you see boxers lose their mobility when they go up the weights, but even last week, I felt brilliant. I still have my speed and strength, I’m punching above my weight class too.
“I felt really good in there.”
Those are the kind of days Smith has long dreamed of.
Anybody who has followed his account on X through the years will realise just how much the sport means to him – with regular videos and updates charting his path to this point.
Yet it was in a hotel in Drogheda, at the height of the 2012 Olympics in London, that the boxing bug first bit.
“Paddy Barnes was fighting at the time, and I remember watching it and loving it.
“From then, I’ve been boxing-mad, punching everything, going round Tesco and hitting the price signs. I kept torturing my daddy to take me up to the boxing club, there’s wee videos of me doing pads at six, then eventually I started at Glengormley before moving to Holy Trinity later.
“From the moment I started, I’ve loved it.”
Boxing did take a back seat for a couple of years as exams took precedence, but now Smith is determined to start moving through the gears and make the best of his amateur career.
And last week’s victory at Girdwood Community Hub leaves him well placed in the shake-up for places at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“I’m in pole position for the Commonwealths now, so that’s the goal.
“Obviously you hear all the talk about boxing at the Olympics, the uncertainty, so instead of worrying about that, the Commonwealths is closer and that’s always been a dream – to get to box at an elite competition of that magnitude. It’s what every young boxer wants to do.
“Of course the Olympics is still a big ambition too… to say the Olympic dream isn’t there would be a lie; the whole reason I got into boxing was because of the Olympics, so it’s always been something I wanted to do.
“The publicity you even get from being an Olympian alone… you see the likes of Aidan Walsh and the opportunities it opens up.”
As a big follower of the professional game, that is a path Smith hopes to pursue eventually.
With his elusive style, attention to detail and diligent attitude, big things could lie ahead – but while he wouldn’t miss a big fight night, there remains plenty of unfinished business in the amateur ranks.
“I’m not done with the amateurs yet – I’m only really getting started, and I’ve still got a lot to prove.
“I think my style is suited to the pros because I can box on the back foot, I can fight coming forward and I can punch… those are some of the qualities you need at that level, but I’m still perfecting my game and maturing.
“At this stage, it’s just about time and trying to get better every day.”
