High Wycombe boxer Ben Smith admitted he won the hardest fight of his fledgling career so far as he beat Zambia’s Mwenya Chisanga on points in a super-lightweight contest at the iconic York Hall.

Smith made it eight wins from eight fights in the six-round bot but explained that the fight was a lot trickier than he anticipated with his opponent changing his stance.

He said: “I had been sparring for weeks with an orthodox fighter but he was actually southpaw so I had to adjust quickly and learn quickly.

“After a couple of rounds, I got used to it but early on you could tell he wasn’t a journeyman.

“He was there to win and he was a hard hitter but I managed to learn in the ring and overall it was a good performance.

“I was proud of myself with how I managed to adjust so quickly to it and in the end it was a good win against a tough competitor.”

Further ahead, Smith had already seen his manager and trainer Mark Tibbs arrange a fight for early next year and Smith has already admitted he will be keeping his head down and working hard over the festive period.

He added: “I won’t be able to treat myself over Christmas but I always manage to relax and will have a good one.

“Ten weeks after that, I will be in the ring for another six-rounder so I have to keep training and keep working hard in the gym and I am already back to it this week.

“Next year is going to be a big one for me. I have that six-rounder and then we will be upping it to eight-round fights and hopefully some title shots.

“I need to keep progressing and keeping working my way up. There are going to be some new things like documentaries to film in the new year.

“I am in a very lucky position thanks to my sponsors Core Atlantic so I want to thank them as most fighters like me have to work still but their sponsorship means I can keep training.”