By David Sillifant

ALTARNUN boxer, Wes Smith, has started his professional career with a bang by knocking out Czech fighter Jan Korec inside three rounds at Plymouth Guildhall last Saturday.

The 24-year-old sheep farmer was forced to contend with a late change of opponent for the four-round contest after Wiltshire’s Dan Carr pulled out.

And after this victory over Korec, the British welterweight scene and the near 1,000 strong crowd would certainly have taken notice of his talents.

Korec who had lost three of his previous four fights with a solitary draw, was an awkward opponent, but the pure power of Smith stood out from the opening bell.

Within the first round Korec was down on one knee, and as the fight continued Smith continued to pile forward with shots to the head and body of the durable 29-year-old.

Korec to his credit continued to come forward, but with one minute and 38 seconds gone of the third round, the referee waved the contest off with the Czech fighter punch drunk in the corner and with nowhere to go.

Smith was delighted with his first professional performance and will fight again at the same venue on Saturday, February 11.

Smith said: “Considering I’ve had two fighters pull out in the lead up to the fight I was just desperate to get in there and show everyone what I can do. Also I didn’t know anything about him as he’s from the Czech Republic and I hadn’t seen him before so it was hard to gauge how good he was. But I’d say it was a good performance overall, I think I was maybe to eager to get him out of there when I could have been a bit more controlled but for a first professional fight I’m happy as he was a tough bloke who took some good shots.”

Looking forward, Smith eventually has his eyes set on a push for a British title.

And while he knows that’s a long way off for now, he is keen to get back into his gym in Launceston with trainer Des Charnock and prepare for his next assignment.

Smith said: “I’m already back training hard in the gym, I want to continue to improve by sparring with better boxers and work on my timing and speed. I want to fight around four or five times a year and work my way up.”

At the lower end of professional boxing, the money is a million miles away from the bright lights of events at the 02 Arena and Madison Square Garden, so Smith was keen to thank his fans for their support and hopes that his following will continue to expand.

Smith added: “At the moment for us boxers working our way up, you have to be able to sell tickets if you are to survive. That’s why I’d like to thank the people who bought 126 tickets for the evening and it’s encouraging now that I’ve already had people come up to me and ask about my next fight and that they’d like to come along. I know that if I continue to win it will only grow.

“I’d also like to thank Des for everything he does with me.”

He continued: “But at the end of the day I’ll leave it for people to match me up with an opponent, but I’ll take on anyone who is put in front of me.”