Blood, sweat and tears
Smithy’s boxing journey reaches special milestone
He is reluctant to call it a celebration, but Brendon Smith is about to reach a 30-year milestone underlining him as one of Toowoomba’s most passionate achievers and proudest ambassadors.
The occasion will be marked at Toowoomba Turf Club on Friday, February 7 when an anticipated 300 people gather to pay homage to Smith at a black-tie dinner in the Clive Berghofer Grand Atrium.
The event will draw together an audience of international, Australian and local Brendon Smith peers, friends and supporters.
“I wouldn’t call it a celebration. It’s been 30 years of blood, sweat and a lot of tears,” Smith said when reflecting this
week on his lengthy boxing journey.
“But it’s a very special night of great memories and all the rest as well.”
The 30 Years Of Blood,
Sweat & Tears event is aptly named in recognition of a person who has achieved at the highest level of boxing and has lived life’s lowest moments through the tragic death of his son Braydon after an ill-fated 2015 bout in Toowoomba.
In between, Smith, his family, and supporters have developed one of Australia’s finest boxing and fitness centres with TGW & Smithy’s Gym in Newtown described by international visitors as “world class”.
But Smith’s progression to successful business manager and mentor to hundreds of aspiring boxers and gym participants was never planned.
He had no inkling or ambition 30 years ago to be one day running one of Toowoomba’s most influential fitness and sporting assets.
“It was never a plan at all to get to this stage and it was something I never, ever thought I’d do,” Smith said.
“It actually started under a tree with a bag and a young lad named Bruce Woodbridge.
“For us it was different back
then. We were workers and boxing was a hobby.
“I never thought anymore of it. It was a bit of fun with football and all the rest.
“It just progressed. It just happened. We grew, and we grew really fast.
“It was never planned. I’d never really seen pro boxing in my life except on TV.”
Smith’s decision to open the doors to Smithy’s Gym with the driving force of Brayd coincided with his colourful journey with former world lightweight champion Michael Katsidis across the world where the pair proudly boasted of their Toowoomba origins.
“There are so many great moments but I’ve had as big of a kick out of a young amateur having his biggest fight or aiming for a gold medal as I’ve had out of being part of a world title,” Smith said.
“I had a little fellow named Chrissy Lloyd in our gym at Charlton who was badly burnt from top to bottom in a fire.
“He had fingers missing and was very burnt in the face and everywhere, but he just loved boxing.
“In our gym was his home and he trained, and the boys loved him.
“One of the greatest thrills was seeing him be allowed after all the fights I had with the boxing commissions and everyone to have a one-off fight at Oakey army base.
“Seeing the whole gym giving him three cheers and carrying him around on their shoulders was magic.
“That boy never fought again after that. He just wanted to have one fight and he won on a stoppage.
“He was the local hero that night.
“You only had to look at his fighting spirit to survive that fire.
“He had the most fighting spirit you’d ever see in anyone.
“For him, getting in the ring that night was his world title fight.
“Things like that are as special as anything.”