Royston Barney-Smith has told BBC Sport he is "150% sure" he will defeat Reece Bellotti when the two super-featherweights meet at Dublin's 3Arena on August 1, live on DAZN.

The 22-year-old from Southampton puts his British and Commonwealth titles on the line against a man 13 years his senior who once held those same belts. A secondary strap — the vacant IBO Intercontinental super-featherweight title — is also at stake, with Barney-Smith telling BBC Sport that winning it would set up a fight with IBO super-featherweight champion Jono Carroll.

Barney-Smith is unbeaten as a professional and claimed the Lonsdale belt — the traditional prize awarded to the British champion — in April. He trains in Essex under Ben Davison, one of the UK's most sought-after coaches. Speaking to BBC Sport, he called a win over Bellotti a "massive statement" to the rest of the 130lbs division and said he is aiming for a stoppage.

Bellotti, 35, brings a record of 20 wins and 7 defeats. He previously held the British and Commonwealth titles but has hit a rough patch. Ryan Garner stopped him late in 2025, and his most recent outing was a loss to Josh Padley that Bellotti considered controversial. Now he faces a younger, unbeaten opponent who sees him as a stepping stone rather than a equal.

Speaking to DAZN News ahead of the fight, Barney-Smith was blunt about the gap in career trajectories: "He's coming to the end of his career. I'm just arriving for world stage lift-off."

The bout sits as the chief support to Pierce O'Leary vs. Mark Chamberlain, which contests the IBO title at the same weight — giving the Dublin card a distinctly super-featherweight flavour. Queensberry Promotions, led by Frank Warren, is staging the event.

For Barney-Smith, the ambition is to move from prospect to contender. He told BBC Sport back in April that he hoped to cement his status as a "contender, not a prospect" in the division, and beating a former champion — especially one who has shared the ring with capable operators like Garner and Padley — would serve that purpose.

What gives the fight its edge is the contrast. Barney-Smith is rising; Bellotti is trying to prove he is not done. One fighter has momentum, youth and an unbeaten record. The other has experience, title pedigree, and the kind of losses that either harden a fighter or expose the limits left. Both men have held the belts on the line, which means neither will want to leave them behind.

For fans, this is the kind of crossroads bout that reveals exactly where each fighter stands — and for Barney-Smith, it is a chance to show that his confidence is built on something more than talk.