Sheffield Wednesday fan Dalton Smith hopes Leeds United supporters park rivalry on Josh Warrington undercard

The unbeaten super lightweight prospect is a well-known Wednesdayite and friends with several first-team players, but could get a hostile reception on the undercard of Josh Warrington’s world title fight against Kiko Martinez.

Leeds-mad Warrington has a partisan fan base who will be out in force at the First Direct Arena on Saturday, March 26.

"I would like to believe football gets put to one side,” said 25-year-old Smith, nicknamed ‘Thunder’.

"My opponent is from Ireland so I would expect the local fans from Yorkshire to be cheering me on.”

Smith attended The City School – now Outwood Academy – with Owls youngster Alex Hunt, who is currently on loan at League Two side Oldham Athletic, and hung out with Barry Bannan and Josh Windass at Leigh Wood’s fight in Nottingham last weekend.

"I’m good friends with Bannan and Josh,” he said.

"I have known them for quite a while, I became friends with them through Alex.

"Alex is one of my long-time friends. They are looking to come (to the fight) so it’s going to be a good night.”

Steel City Gym-based Thunder boasts a perfect professional record of nine wins from nine fights and will be backed by hundreds of his own fans in West Yorkshire.

He admitted his next bout is the toughest of his promising career yet on paper.

His 31-year-old opponent won a gold medal in the World Youth Championships and European Championships as an amateur and has 11 wins from 12 professional fights.

"You don’t win a European Senior and World Championship in the amateurs without being well-schooled,” said Smith, who earned medals at Junior European Championship level and at the youth Commonwealth Games during his five years in the prestigious GB Boxing set-up.

"He’s going to bring a lot to the table, it’s a fight where he can parachute his career and push on.

"I’ve got to make sure I’m one-hundred per cent on my A game.”

Smith said he would be putting club rivalries aside to support Warrington in his bid to become a two-time world champion and added: "He’s a grounded person, I think that’s why a lot of people take a liking to him.”