Dalton Smith knocked out Sam Maxwell in round seven to add the Commonwealth super lightweight title to the British belt he won outright in a dominant performance at Sheffield's Utilita Arena.
Hometown favourite Smith moved to 15-0 (11 KOs) against former Team GB amateur Maxwell (17-2, 11 KOs), with his regular activity over the course of a breakout year paying dividends as he was the sharper fighter throughout.
A clash of heads in round five left Smith with a nasty cut around his right eye. Thankfully for the 26-year-old, the bleeding did not obscure his vision and he put his foot down to secure a highlight-reel stoppage.
Roared on by a partisan crowd, Smith made an assertive start. Maxwell was reeling briefly against the ropes after a solid right hand and the visitors’ face was marked up at the end of the first.
WATCH: Smith vs. Maxwell exclusively live on DAZN
A peach of a right uppercut and a booming overhand shot from the same wing kept Smith on the front foot in round two before some belated encouragement for Maxwell in the next session.
Smith sent home a crunching short left hook during the closing moments of round three only for the Liverpudlian to land with a superb counter right hand.
Maxwell was evidently bothered by eye damage as Smith continued to enjoy the better of the close-quarters exchanges, although the British champion suffered a far more dramatic cut when they clashed heads accidentally in five.
Just nasty. :exploding_head:#SmithMaxwell pic.twitter.com/l3mOO55Dbb
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 1, 2023
That setback brought increased urgency to Smith’s work and the sixth was punishing for Maxwell as the Sheffield favourite waded through a mask of blood to shake his opponent to his boots.
The end came dramatically in the next stanza. The heavy right hand Smith had been landing all night thudded into Maxwell’s temple after a jab set up the opening. Maxwell’s legs crumpled beneath him and referee Kevin Parker waved off the contest after one minute and 34 seconds of the round.
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On the undercard, Hopey Price — who was named among in Boxing's 25 under 25 by The Sporting News this week — moved to 11-0 with a controlled win over James Beech Jr on his first venture up to featherweight. Beech Jr was pulled out by his trainer after seven rounds of the scheduled 10.
Another former amateur standout, Pat McCormack made it five wins out of five in the paid ranks as he dominated Tony Dixon in an eye-catching display. Dixon was dropped heavily towards the end of round four and, when he returned to his stool, the Welshman's corner decided they had seen enough.
Dalton Smith vs. Sam Maxwell live results
- Dalton Smith bt. Sam Maxwell (KO 7/12) to unify the British and Commonwealth super lightweight titles
- Pat McCormack bt. Tony Dixon (RTD 4/10); super welterweights
- Hopey Price bt. James Beech Jr (RTD 7/10); featherweights
- Lewis Sylvester bt. Adam Cope (UD 10) to win the vacant English lightweight title
- Beatriz Ferreira bt. Karla Ramos Zamora (PTS 8); super featherweights
- Junaid Bostan bt. Ryan Amos (PTS 8); super welterweights
- Cory O'Regan bt. Jordan Ellison (PTS 6); lightweight
- Nico Leivars bt. Alberto Motos (PTS 6); super bantamweights
Dalton Smith vs. Sam Maxwell start time
- Date: Saturday, July 1 | Sunday, July 2
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT | 7 p.m. BST | 4 a.m. AEST
- Main event: 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT | 10 p.m. BST | 7 a.m. AEST
Dalton Smith vs. Sam Maxwell is on July 1. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT | 7 p.m. BST | 4 a.m. AEST. The main event should begin around 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT | 10 p.m. BST | 7 a.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Allowances may be made to try and avoid a main-event clash with Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs. Savannah Marshall for the women's undisputed super middleweight title, which takes place at Manchester's AO Arena on the same night.
How to watch Dalton Smith vs. Sam Maxwell
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| USA | — | DAZN |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK and Ireland | DAZN 1 HD | DAZN |
| Australia | — | DAZN |
The Dalton Smith vs. Sam Maxwell fight card will be available via DAZN.
Now available as a Sky channel, DAZN 1 HD is exclusive to Sky.