Darkie Smith

Who is Darkie Smith?

John ‘Darkie’ Smith is a former British boxer, now employed in boxing training and boxing matchmaking. By birth a Romany Gypsy, Darkie fought in the UK until the age of 30. He served an apprenticeship under the pro trainer George Francis before setting out on his own. Smith has worked as a trainer in the UK, France, Spain, Majorca, the USA and Germany. Fighters trained to world titles include heavyweight Herbie Hide, light heavyweight and cruiserweight Fabrice Tiozzo, super middleweight Christophe Tiozzo and light welterweight Stephen Smith. He has also trained European, Commonwealth and British champions, and worked with other future champions during the early stages of their careers. These fighters include European Heavyweight Champion Zeljko Mavrovic and future world champion Chris Eubank. Darkie's work with Mavrovic drew much attention. Mavrovic was trained exclusively by Smith for five years, winning and defending his European title and finishing with a record of one defeat in thirty bouts. The one defeat amounted to a points decision against world champion Lennox Lewis, in a bout that saw Mavrovic concede a significant weight advantage.