BRADLEY Smith gave it his best shot in the southern semi-final of the Junior ABA National Championships in Portsmouth at the weekend but ended up with a broken nose after his bout with Zac Chaima from Finchley.

The fight was stopped in the third round by the referee after the 16-year-old suffered a reoccurance of an injury that has dogged him in recent month.

His coach, Steve Whitwell from St Ives Boxing Club, said: “I am very proud of the way Smith boxed and the way he conducted himself and I’m sure without the injury he would have gone on to win the bout.

“But with the injury, even if he had got the decision, he would not have been allowed to box in the final next week

“Chaima probably ended the first round a couple of points up but in no way dominant. The second round was better for Smith as he got a few points back and probably finished the round on top but unfortunately an elbow late in the round caused Smith to suffer a reoccurrence of the broken nose he had a few weeks ago.

“From there the bout changed as Smith’s nose bled heavily and covered both him and his opponent.

“In the third round Chaima went for an all out attack and Smith bravely tried his best to fight back but three times the ref called the doctor to the ring to inspect the nose and every time Smith begged them to let him box on.

“After a late assault by Chaima the ref had another look at Smith and called the fight off.

The boxer will be ranked in the top four in the country and Whitwell believes he has a style that will win him titles in seasons to come. Unfortunately, because of the injury, he will not be able to perform at St Ives Boxing Club’s show on May 31 and will now be rested until the new season in September.