Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday in talks over staging Dalton Smith boxing fight at Hillsborough
Sheffield Wednesday have formally engaged in discussions with Sheffield City Council over the plausibility of holding boxing events at Hillsborough stadium, The Star understands.
The staging of large-scale events on the pitch at Hillsborough require special licenses that the club does not currently hold. The Star understands that exploratory discussions with the Council were started last week - with the primary intention of hosting a fight at S6 for freshly-crowned world champion Dalton Smith.
It's understood that there will be various obstacles to overcome for a ground that hasn't held a non-football event on the pitch for many years and that at this early stage of proceedings there is no definite timescale on what may be achievable. These obstacles range from structural requirements of the stadium's layout to the logistical and infrastructural differences in crowd protocols at football and boxing events - though it is thought to be achievable. It's understood Wednesday would be in-line recover a hefty fee from a promoting company if they were able to stage any fight.
Smith became a world champion by beating heavy-hitting Puerto Rican Subriel Matias with a savage fifth-round knockout in New York last weekend and has long since spoken about his ambition of fighting at the home of the club he supports. Wednesday have been a long-time champion of the 28-year-old and collaborated with him on their 2022/23 kit launch along with other projects, though any prospect of staging a bout at Hillsborough was previously thought to have been unworkable under the difficult chairmanship of Dejphon Chansiri.
The club are currently operating in administration, which delivers further logistical gymnastics in terms of sign-off responsibilities and any significant costs associated with the project. The initial intention is to open up discussions and get a clearer view of the necessary way forward.
Smith was a guest of honour at Saturday’s Hillsborough clash with Portsmouth, parading his newly-attained WBC super-lightweight belt at half-time before receiving the adoration of supporters on a lap of the ground.
Speaking to The Star, the latest Steel City champion said: “Everyone has shown their love and support and I'm very grateful for that. I love being a Sheffield boy and the support is incredible. I remember walking out for the fight and thinking 'I didn't expect that many people from Britain to be here', I feel honoured and I want to say a big thank you for everyone for coming out and showing their support.
"The number one at the top of my list is a big fight at Hillsborough. I think we can do that. There'll be talks over the next couple of weeks for what's next and I just want to be a part of the biggest fights possible. It's about getting licenses, working it around the football and obviously getting the right fight, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes.”
Boxing events at local football stadiums are nothing new. Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane played host to Kell Brook’s 2017 defeat to Errol Spence Jr, while more recently Callum Simpson became European super-middleweight champion after a stunning stoppage win over Ivan Zucco at Barnsley’s Oakwell last summer. Hillsborough stadium is yet to host a fight but has hosted music concerts in years gone by.
Smith suggested an ambition to stage his next fight at Hillsborough and though the plausibility of that plan is not yet known, the prospect of doing so at the stadium now seems infinitely more possible than during Chansiri’s reign. Any date with long-time rival Adam Azim is on the back burner until - as Smith puts it - the Slough-born fighter “earns his stripes”.
Relaxing in one of the hospitality boxes at S6, the Handsworth-based puncher said it was too early to speculate on the potential identity of his next opponent, but that plans will be hatched in the coming weeks and months.
"Now the club is moving the way it's moving, to get a fight here should be a lot easier now the owner's gone,” Smith continued. “The future is looking good for the club and if I can give something back and bring a big night of boxing here, that would be special. Everyone is behind it. Obviously it will take a lot of process and a lot of planning, but it's been done before at other stadiums and for me to do it here would be unbelievable.
"The club's always got behind me, the people here. And that wasn't through me asking, they did it off their own back. I've been overwhelmed by the support I've always had from them, so I feel like it's my duty to give back to the club. Even before I really got going, I remember being sat at matches, listening to the crowd and thinking 'Wow, imagine having a boxing match here one day.' I think we can make that happen.”