Bradley Smith is bidding to capture the first belt of his blossoming career – with a little bit of help from a friend.

The unbeaten St Ives fighter faces Czech opponent Richard Walter for the International Challenge lightweight title this Saturday night at the York Hall in London – the venue for his four smooth successes so far.

And 19 year-old Smith has been preparing for his biggest night in the professional ranks by sparring with good pal Tommy Martin among other notable fighters at the Limehouse Marina gym in London.

Smith said: “Every boxer will tell you his preparation has gone well ahead of a fight, but mine genuinely could not have been better.

“I’ve had some terrific sparring against Tommy, unbeaten African champion Larry Ekundayo and George Jupp, who won a WBO Inter-Continental title last year.

“I’ve been going 10 rounds with those guys so I know that doing eight won’t be a problem on Saturday night.

“It has been tough in my first few fights over four rounds because they are over so quickly. I’m convinced that longer fights will suit me going forward and I hope to prove that.

“I won’t be complaining if I can force an early stoppage, but I also won’t mind going the distance as long as I am winning the fight.

“I’m feeling sharp, I’m feeling strong and it is just a case of taking the great work I’ve done in training into the ring.”

Walter has three victories and three defeats on his record, but all the successes have been gained by knockout.

It will be his second venture to Britain. He was beaten by Sam Bowen at Bedworth Civic Hall in March of 2015.

“He can obviously bang a bit,” added Smith. “But his record suggests he is also vulnerable to taking shots as well, and that’s something I’ll be looking to exploit.

“It is about being smart and making sure I dictate the fight. I’m just treating it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.”