SMITH SHEDS TWO STONE IN STUNNING COMEBACK BID
24/02/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL SMITH has lost a whopping TWO stone in just two-and-a-half months as he targets a top 10 return.
‘Bully Boy’ revealed how crippling ankle arthritis left him unable to walk for five gruelling months.
The former world champ admitted that at his lowest point he was stuck on the sofa, piling on the pounds and sipping sugary drinks.
Smith insists there was no miracle cure behind his dramatic body transformation, explaining injections in late December and a change in mindset were the real turning point.
He said: “From July last year I couldn’t walk for five months, so I had injections in my ankles in December.
“Then I was able to walk up and down the stairs freely. It was getting off my arse, basically. I could practise again.
“I could walk where I needed to go with no pain. My lifestyle differed from five months ago, when I was sat watching TV, drinking pop or juice.
“It is just getting up and living a normal life. That’s what has helped me the most.
“I think I have only lost two stone in the last two and a half months. That is just by getting up and being able to walk.
“There is no secret to it, it is just stop being lazy.”
World No.31 Smith is now targeting a climb up the Order of Merit, buoyed by fresh confidence after reaching the quarter-finals of the Poland Masters.
He added: “When I speak to my wife, I just say things to please her; when I speak to my dad, we have a proper chat.
“If I didn’t get through the qualifiers, I wasn’t going to play them this year.
“When I am travelling down, my feet are killing me when I get off the plane.
“Getting back into Poland and winning means I have to get into more now. It’s a hard thing because I didn’t want to.
“I wanted to chill out and get things right. But I have been pain free for six months. I just have to keep going and fighting.
“The biggest plan now is getting back into that top 10 and being a headache for someone else.”
Smith returns to action at the Players Championship Five in Leicester on Monday.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
