Sheffield considers tribute for Dalton Smith
Sheffield should plan a public celebration and lasting tribute to mark Dalton Smith's incredible achievement in winning the world title in America, senior boxing figures said today.
Handsworth's Smith stopped reigning champion Subriel Matias in New York this month to take the WBC super light-weight belt.
He joins a list of other Sheffield and South Yorkshire fighters who have reached the top of their sport.
Some of them have been officially acknowledged.
Clinton Woods, who won the IBF light heavyweight world title in 2005 at the Magna Centre, Rotherham, had his name included on a plaque in the paved area outside the town hall, as did the late Wincobank boxing coach Brendan Ingle.
Following Kell Brook's IBF welterweight win over Shawn Porter in California in 2014, Brook was honoured with a civic reception at the Winter Garden and greeted by the Lord Mayor.
Outside of the ring, people such as Ingle, Glyn Rhodes, Johnny Nelson, Brendan Warburton and Leslie Tomlinson were rightly handed MBEs.
Naseem Hamed was awarded an MBE in the 1999 New Year's Honours List for his services to boxing, althought he was subsequently stripped of it in 2006.
The Star approached the city council to ask whether they were planning any recognition of Steel City gym star Smith's victory in Brooklyn.
Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Safiya Saeed: "Sheffield City Council congratulates Dalton on a fantastic performance in America and bringing another world championship back to Sheffield.
"The council would be keen to mark his accomplishment with discussions due to take place between Dalton, his family and his team, of the most suitable way of achieving that."
Sheffield Boxing Club's Glyn Rhodes, who was awarded the MBE in the 2013 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to boxing and young people in the city, had a forthright view on the situation.
He said: "All this fuss over Naseem Hamed in the film (Giant) that has just been released should be put to one side.
"Dalton deserves official recognition for his emergence through the amateur ranks all the way to winning the WBC title in America - what is better than that? He did brilliantly and is a nice kid, too."
Ex-world champ Woods, who shared a few beers with fellow Wednesdayite Smith in Mosborough last weekend, agrees.
"Dalton has brought international focus and acclaim to our city and deserves to be honoured with some formal recognition.
"He has shone a light on Sheffield boxing and is a proper Sheffield lad."