It’s the question everyone has, and to his credit, 23-year-old Da’Velle Smith takes each query with grace, even though it’s got to be tiring to be repeatedly asked what it’s like to be the next Thomas Hearns.
“Yeah, it's a little bittersweet,” said Smith, an 8-0 pro out of the Kronk Gym with a Hearns-esque right hand. “It's sweet because Tommy Hearns is the biggest thing to come out of Michigan other than Floyd Mayweather or Claressa Shields, and it's an honor for people to see me on a level like that. They can put that ceiling on me, if you will, but that's what it is to me. It's a ceiling and I want to try to be better than Tommy Hearns. I want to be the best version of myself that I could be. But my whole thing is just showing the world who I am.”
