Nicki Smedley is Set To Contest For Masters Title?
By Terence Dooley
Sheffield’s Nicki Smedley, 12-0 (3), recently broke a two-year absence from the sport by decisioning Billy Smith over six rounds at the City Hall, Sheffield back in May. The 24-year-old light-welterweight is scheduled to fight in Jersey on October the 9th; Chris Smedley, Nicki’s trainer and father, has revealed that his charge will fight Mark McCullough, 6-6 (2), for the British Masters 140lb title on a Dennis Hobson-promoted bill.
Chris also believes that his son is ready to start moving forward in the sport. “(Nicki) is fed up of boxing the shorter rounds,” said Smedley when speaking to the South Yorkshire Star.
“He wants titles and to start climbing up the ladder. He used to be called 'Nicki Nightmare' because he was a nightmare in training. But now he has got his career back on track and he is hungry for success. He (McCullough) is really tough and he has never been stopped before. Mark has boxed at 10 rounds whereas the most Nicki has boxed is six.”
McCullough, 27, recently won the lightweight Masters title by decisioning Somerset’s Dean Mills over ten rounds; however, the High Wycombe-based boxer had lost his previous three and will find it tough against Smedley, who turned pro with a points win over Lance Verrallo back in 2005 and was motoring along nicely prior to his 25-month hiatus.
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