Promising young Hemsworth boxer Codie Smith is making a name for himself in amateur boxing after proving himself among the best in the country at his age.
In just two-and-a-half years in the sport Codie, 13, has already made it past county level to national level and has several titles to his name with his biggest success so far coming in the prestigious Hull Box Cup this month when he beat more experienced opponent Kai Hardaker, from Manchester’s Moss Side club, in the final.
One of the biggest junior boxing events in the north, it took place at the Bonus Youth Performance Centre, in Hull, and is the Yorkshire Boxing Association’s biggest Olympic Style boxing event with almost 300 competitors from all over England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and as far away as Australia in an event that lasts for three days.
For Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy’s Codie to come out on top in the 46kg category against such tough opposition shows how much he is coming on and he was delighted to add the trophy to a lengthening list of titles he has won. Already he had been crowned Yorkshire champion, Notts and East Midlands champion and Merseyside and Cheshire champion and he reached the semi-finals of the Junior ABA Championships when considered an unlucky loser in narrowly missing out on a first national title. Proud father Craig is delighted with the progress of his son.
He said: “He’s in the top four on paper in his age group, but he’s better than that really and if that decision hadn’t have gone against him in the nationals he would be.
“He’s doing fantastic. It’s a very hard sport is amateur boxing, it’s that competitive and there’s that many at it.
“The lad he beat in the Hull final previously had 25 fights and 18 wins. He had twice as much experience as Codie and Codie beat him. Codie’s had 14 fights and won 11.
“He’s in the elite in the country and to get to where he has is already a great achievement.”
Codie, who will be competing in Ireland in the Monkstown Dublin Box Cup in his next event this week, is a member at Hull Boxing Centre and trains twice a week at the Ludus Magnus Training Centre, in Doncaster, under the guidance of Neil Wain and John Popplewell. He formerly trained at the Hard & Fast gym, in Cudworth. His sponsors are MC & C Utilities, of Kinsley, who have supplied him with a new kit.
