Middleweight Da’velle Smith has drawn comparisons to Thomas Hearns, even adopting the nickname “The Hitman 2.0,” a tribute to one of Hearns’ monikers. Now, Smith is training with Javan “Sugar” Hill, the nephew of Emanuel Steward, who trained Hearns during his Hall of Fame career.
Smith faces Martez McGregor in an eight-round middleweight bout on Saturday night at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Smith, 12-0 (8 KOs), remembers when the comparison to Hearns first started. Smith, from Taylor, Michigan, had two fights in Texas to start his professional career, and the 6ft 2 in middleweight, with a slender frame, showed a fair amount of power.
“I knocked a guy out with my right hand, and from then on, people said I looked like Tommy Hearns,” Smith told BoxingScene. “Some people asked if we were related."
Smith, who is signed with Salita Promotions, is an up-and-comer the promotion has high hopes for. Smith, 24, hopes to be the next beloved Kronk gym fighter, though he admits he only knows Hearns through a brief encounter.
“I never knew him personally, but I have been compared to him [Hearns], and it is an honor to carry on that Kronk name,” Smith said.
Smith spent the past month with Hill in Florida.
“I had trained with him back in 2019 for about a year-and-a-half,” Smith said. “I always fight my best under Sugar Hill.”
Smith won four national titles as an amateur, but noted that the transition from being an amateur to a pro wasn’t difficult, citing that even as an amateur he sparred with pros. Smith had a tough fight against William Townsel in December, which he won by a majority decision. Smith talked about the impact of that fight. McGregor, 9-8 (7 KOs), is best known for giving Kyrone Davis a tough fight in 2021, despite losing a unanimous decision. McGregor showed an awkward style that gave the seasoned veteran some moments of adversity. McGregor, a 35-year-old from Maywood, Illinois, enters the bout this weekend following a May technical knockout loss, but represents the next level of developmental talent ahead for Smith. Smith looks to show the improvements from his first full camp with Hill in Florida.
“It made me focus and lock in more,” Smith said. “There are levels to this, and knowing how to train properly.”
