A potential light-heavyweight clash between Callum Smith and David Benavidez has gained plenty of traction, with encouraging signs appearing from both sides of the pond.
Following Dmitry Bivol’s victory over Artur Beterbiev last month, it seemed as though Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs), was in pole position to face him for the undisputed crown.
The 28-year-old has, after all, established himself as a formidable contender at 175lbs after outpointing both David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk in comprehensive fashion.
Not only that but, after defending his WBC interim title, Benavidez is also the mandatory challenger for Bivol’s green and gold strap.
And yet, while the sanctioning body has ordered an intriguing matchup between the pair, boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh is seemingly refusing to play ball with the WBC.
Instead, the Saudi boxing chief has expressed his interest in delivering a trilogy showdown between Bivol and Beterbiev following their two fiercely competitive encounters.
That would leave both Benavidez and WBO interim champion Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), waiting firmly in the wings before they each secure a deserved title shot.
In the meantime, though, it would make perfect sense for the two elite operators to lock horns, especially now that Smith comes off arguably a career-best performance against Joshua Buatsi.
The Liverpudlian has also insisted that he is prepared to sacrifice his mandatory position to stage a show at Anfield Stadium, mentioning both Benavidez and domestic rival Anthony Yarde as potential opponents.
More encouraging still, Benavidez’s manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, has already highlighted Smith to boxing journalist Dan Rafael as a possible dance partner.
“I know from talking to the Benavidez [camp] that, if they’re not going to get the Canelo [Alvarez] fight next, and they’re not going to get the Bivol fight… They’ll need to come up with an alternative plan,” Rafael told Andi Purewal’s Boxing News.
“In talking with [Lewkowicz], he said they would love to fight Callum Smith. They think it’s an attractive fight; they think it’s a worthy fight.”
