Sam Smith - Not Your Stepping Stone
By East Leeds Magazine Editorial Staff, March 2010

A week before Sam Smith's crack at the EBF European Light Weight title Sam was positively bouncing, she was on schedule to meet the weight, her fitness was approaching it's peak and her eyes were a raging, focused blue. It hadn't been the easiest of build ups for Sam Smith. First her trainer injured his knee and then there was the on off uncertainty of whether the fight would take place.

"It doesn't affect me on the day to day training. I never plan my fight around the opponent, I let them worry about me. So it's not like I have a certain plan which I then have to tailor for a new opponent. However, it is on the back of my mind a little but I just try not to let it distract me."

Asked about the fear of the unknown and the lack of pressure that accomponies a late replacement, Sam was aware that can be the case, she’d been in that situation herself in the past. She knew all the pressure was on her anyway, home town girl with an unblemished record etc but has never studied an opponent anyway.

"I would get in the ring with any girl but I want to improve and test myself against the best. It would be no good when I pack it in if I had an unblemished record against inexperienced fighters. The record means nothing to me, if I get in the ring with the best and I lose, then so be it, chances are, I'd learn more from that fight than I would from ten victories. I have 100% faith in Lee, my trainer. Any boxer will tell you when they're in the ring they'd never want their corner to throw the towel in. But I trust Lee, if I was on the wrong end of a battering and he called time, I'd probably rage like hell at him at the time but given time to reflect, I'd know he'd have made the right decision for the right reasons."

Although Sam's opponent, Anissa Haddaoui was a late arrival she was no mug. By the age of 18, she was already a veteran of the Dutch kick boxing circuit with eighteen fights under her belt, and was the Netherlands light weight kick boxing champion,before switching to boxing. Quiet, almost angelic outside the ring, it's easy to be fooled by her diminutive stature. Her nickname accurately describes her as the Little Devil, she relies on craft, movement, energy and utter fearlessness to make a formidable opponent.

What followed was reminiscent of the three legendary rounds Hearns & Hagler fought years ago. Both fighters, unrelentlesley went toe to toe, sometimes trading like for like punches and the fight could have gone either way in the first thirty seconds, such was the ferocity.

"I never thought it would be easy, I never underestimate an opponent and from the moment the bell went I knew I was in a fight. I was slow at the start, the wait before gave me the jitters and nerves set in. (A previous fight had warranted the attention of the paramedics and the fight couldn't begin until they were finished). I landed punches but knew I wasn't giving my best. And she kept moving, landing punches on me, during the 2nd round I was really feeling breathless and hid behind my arms a little, the idea is to absorb the punches so the opponents waste energy. I got a second wind for the 3rd round and her punching became less effective although she never stopped moving and the threat was always live. I knew I was stronger in the fourth but ultimately a draw was a fair result, I've no complaints. I spoke with Anissa after the fight, she seemed really nice, I’ve every respect for her, she's up for a rematch, maybe in August.”

For her part Anissa loved the experience of boxing in Leeds: "The people have been so friendly, the venue was brilliant and the atmosphere electric. The crowd were nice. Thank you for having me. I want to come back."

The Ring Saoirse Team