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“Look, it was pretty close in rounds eight, nine. I believe I got 10, 11 and 12 to win it by three rounds, but we knew it wasn't going to be easy,” Smith said following the bout.
“You can't go in there and blast Puello out. He's too experienced, a two-time world champion. He's experienced, he's been around the block. Look at the names he's beat. He's got much more experience than me.
“I just believe he got my respect early on. I believe I hurt him. I took my foot off the gas in the middle rounds. My dad was like, ‘Look, we need to push on strong to finish the fight.’ The belt's staying with us. I did what I had to do.”
Attention quickly turned to what could be next for Smith, now 20-0 (14 KOs), who made it clear that he wants to fulfil a childhood dream by fighting at Hillsborough, the home of his beloved Sheffield Wednesday, with local rock band Arctic Monkeys performing live for his ring walk.
“I want Hillsborough. I want a big fight at Hillsborough,” Smith said. “That big carrot's been dangled all the way through this fight. And I'm like, ‘Right, block out that noise. You've got a tough task in front of you.’ Eddie will start those conversations and once I've had a little break, the conversations will go on.
“I want Hillsborough, Arctic Monkeys, and have a proper Sheffield night.”
Hillsborough has a capacity of around 35,000, and Smith would likely need a marquee opponent to help fill the stadium. The question now is who could stand opposite him.
“There's plenty of names,” Smith said. “I've had no easy fights. I've fought everyone I've needed to fight, but for me, my number one goal is to sell out Hillsborough. My dream is to walk out with the Arctic Monkeys playing live, if we can make that happen, and have a big fight at Hillsborough.
“But right now, I'm going to enjoy this victory for a couple of weeks, and then we'll start those conversations.”
With his victory over Puello on Saturday, coupled with his emphatic knockout of Subriel Matias in January, Smith has put himself in the conversation for Fighter of the Year. Having grown up watching British boxing icons on television, the Sheffield fighter is now beginning to build a legacy of his own.
“I want to be a name for the people I grew up watching,” Smith said. “The legends of Ricky Hatton – God rest his soul – Joe Calzaghe – he messaged me this morning saying good luck. Even having conversations with those guys, people I've looked up to – I want to finish my career and be a household name like that for this next generation to inspire them, because that's what these guys have done.
“Like I said, I believe I'm just getting started. The atmosphere tonight was unbelievable. I just want bigger and bigger nights.”
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