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Home » WBN friend Brayd Smith taken before his time at 23

WBN friend Brayd Smith taken before his time at 23

Braydon Smith was an utter gentleman and had a life to live that would certainly have made his father Brendon proud no matter which route the young man had chosen to take. As it happens, the 23 year-old followed his boxing trainer and manager dad into the ring as the blood coursing through his veins meant any other path in life was an impossibility.

Boxing had Smith hooked from a young age, although Brayd still found time to back up his plans by training to be a lawyer as he thought a career trading punches would not be the only thing that would define his time on this earth.

Learning that Brayd had been taken to hospital following his loss to John Vincent Moralde left my fingers notably paralysed and I could not even attempt to write the news about him for fear that the worse would happen which has now transpired. Maybe I didn’t want to believe it and I certainly did not want to write this article, but here I am and I am doing my best.

Brayd fought 13 times, won 12 and only lost his final fight after lighting up the ring with more than just his talent as a fighter. ‘The Great White’ had a lovely personality that shone through above anything else around him and Smith always had plenty of time for anyone he came into contact with which makes this news even harder to swallow.

Two boxers went into the ring on Saturday and only one came out, which is a stark reminder that this sport we love doesn’t make us happy all of the time as we wish it would.

I feel a sense of loss that I have not felt before as Brayd’s journey was fully covered by WBN from beginning to end, and for his life to be extinguished in this way just makes my heart bleed for his dad Brendon who has always had time for the site since day one.

Sending my thoughts to Brayd’s family won’t cut it for me as that is the only tiny thing I can physically do, but keeping Brayd’s memory alive won’t be too hard because that smile that graced his face constantly was infectious and will always be a happy memory for me.

The negativity that boxing throws out there from time to time pales into insignificance when something like tihs happens and I just wish that this danger was not a part of lacing up the gloves…but sadly it is.