Codie Smith interview: Meet the Yorkshire boxer determined to emulate Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather and put Hemsworth on the map

Confidence is a non-negotiable necessity for up-and-coming fighters but it has got to be backed up.

And while 19-year-old Smith talks the talk, he is also walking the walk, having already dispatched of two considerably more experienced fighters in Luca Genovese and Francisco Rodriguez.

Hemsworth-born Smith acknowledges he has more to learn but such is the strength of his self-belief, he is targeting being the reason his hometown becomes known globally.

He told The Yorkshire Post: “I am proud of where I'm from and I do want to put it on the map. If you go on holiday and people ask where you're from, you've got to say somewhere like Barnsley or Leeds because they don't know where Hemsworth is.

"For me, that's a big thing. I want to put Hemsworth on the map globally as that place Codie Smith is from. And I believe that's what I'll do.”

Smith has signed a three-year contract with Wasserman Boxing, with gaining experience by fighting regularly his short-term aim.

The teenager has been taking on seasoned veterans of the sport, but his skill has shone through and his age is yet to prove a detriment.

He said: "It's different. Obviously with the maturity, I'm still a boy. I haven't even got hairs on my face or anything yet. They've got big beards. There's a big level of maturity but my skill is much better than theirs. When I start maturing, that's when you'll see the best of me.

“I'm one of those, I'll never say no to a fight. Anyone will tell you the same, I say yes to the first one. I've got faith in my own ability and I do believe I'm well above the fighters I'm fighting now.

"They're just journeymen. I think you'll see the best of me when I fight people who are coming to win. I do believe when they're coming to win, that's when our fight opens.

"I'm a very smart fighter, and I think when I fight people who are trying to win and opening themselves up to throw shots at, I think that's when you'll see the best of me.”

Smith is a former season ticket holder at Barnsley and a world title fight at the football club’s home, Oakwell Stadium, is among his goals.

He said: “Since I've been a little baby, I've always wanted to be a world champion professional. I've never really wanted to be an Olympian or be a great amateur. I was a good amateur but my eyes have always been set on being a world champion professional.

"My long-term ambition is to have a car for every day of the week, I want everything. I want a world title fight at Oakwell Stadium, I do believe I can do that. If people like Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather can do it, why can't a Yorkshire lad do it?”

Despite being a former Reds season ticket holder, he admits his football loyalties are now somewhat divided as the best friend of Huddersfield Town’s Kian Harratt.

He added: “I feel like I've made a decent start. I'm on the right track and now I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing, keep training hard and keep climbing up that ladder.”