Tony Bellew: How Dalton Smith could break into the mainstream

Tony Bellew, speaking to BBC Sport, said Dalton Smith, who defends his WBC light-welterweight title against Alberto Puello on Saturday after stunning Subriel Matias in January, has the tools to become a mainstream star.

Dalton Smith made his professional debut in 2019 and is undefeated in 19 professional bouts, winning 14 by stoppage. Bellew, the former cruiserweight world champion, has followed Smith since his time on the Great Britain amateur squad and said he had expected Smith to remain amateur for the Olympics because he fancied him to win a medal.

"Dalton Smith has everything it takes to become British boxing's next superstar. He's one of the best fighters in this country, pound-for-pound, and I'd even go as far as saying he's a better boxer than I ever was," Bellew said, adding that Smith needs a high-profile domestic rival to push him beyond the boxing public into the national spotlight.

"Dalton needs his own Haye - that rival who takes him from being known among boxing fans to being recognised by the whole country. Adam Azim could be that man." Bellew said he would like to see a fight between Smith and Azim at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium, calling it "a monster fight."

Reflecting on Smith's January win over Matias, Bellew said he predicted a stoppage before the contest: "I told Eddie Hearn on the morning of the fight that Dalton would stop him. Eddie couldn't believe it, but I was absolutely convinced." He described the Matias performance as "a phenomenal performance" and highlighted Smith's timing as a key attribute.

Bellew compared Smith's timing to Sheffield's Kell Brook and praised the influence of Smith's father and trainer, Grant: "I admire his relationship with his father and trainer, Grant, who has allowed Dalton to travel and learn from different trainers. I've had coaches who wouldn't entertain bringing somebody else in to help. Grant understands that no trainer knows everything and Dalton has benefited enormously from that."

On Saturday's opponent, Bellew warned against underestimating Alberto Puello: "People are overlooking Puello, which is dangerous. Even though Matias beat him, I genuinely believe this is the toughest fight of Dalton's career. He's a southpaw with a phenomenal work rate and a granite chin. I've hardly ever seen him badly hurt. But Puello is easier to hit than most southpaws because he doesn't use his stance particularly well. I wish I'd faced a few like that during my career – unfortunately, I had to deal with some southpaw guy called Oleksandr Usyk."

Bellew expressed a tactical concern and set out what he wants to see from Smith on Saturday: "My only slight concern for Dalton is his work rate. He can't afford to start slowly or he could find himself four or five rounds behind. He must approach every round as a new fight. Don't go looking for the knockout. Go in there looking to win eight, nine or 10 rounds." He added, "If he stops Puello, I'll regard him as clearly the best fighter in the division. Even beating him on points would be a brilliant achievement."

On Smith's long-term path, Bellew advised consolidation at light-welterweight rather than chasing quick jumps through divisions: "Afterwards, I don't want to see him jumping through weight divisions chasing big names. Marvin Hagler showed you can become a legend by dominating one division. Stay at light-welterweight, unify the belts and make everybody come to you." He noted that "Dalton has already achieved his dream of becoming world champion. Nobody can ever take that WBC green-and-gold belt away from him." Bellew recalled winning the WBC title at Goodison Park by saying, "Winning the WBC title at Goodison Park, the former home of my beloved Everton, was my lifelong dream, which I achieved by knocking out Ilunga Makabu in 2016."

Bellew warned that victory over Puello is not guaranteed and must be the immediate focus, then mentioned the domestic possibilities afterward. Dalton Smith defends his WBC light-welterweight title against Alberto Puello on Saturday. Tony Bellew was speaking to BBC Sport boxing journalist Kal Sajad.