DESPITE rejecting an initial offer to face David Benavidez, Callum Smith firmly believes that he is inching closer towards another stab at world honours.
The 35-year-old has established himself as a leading contender at 175lbs, not least because of his unanimous decision victory over Joshua Buatsi in February.
On that particular night, the former world super-middleweight champion engaged in a hellacious battle, made even harder by his opponent’s study chin, before emerging with the WBO ‘interim’ light-heavyweight strap.
As a result, Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), has placed himself in a strong position to challenge the winner of Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev 3, which is expected to take place later this year.
But instead of waiting around for his opportunity, the Liverpudlian has set his sights on a potential clash with world champion Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs).
‘The Monster Bandera Roja’ was elevated from interim to full WBC champion earlier this year, just as speculation of Bivol and Beterbiev’s trilogy was beginning to mount.
Prior to that, Benavidez had secured a convincing points victory over David Morrell, with the impressive win cementing his world-level credentials at 175lbs.
Since then, the 28-year-old has expressed an eagerness to defend his green and gold strap against Smith, whose promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed last month that an offer had been received.
Without giving the game away, the Matchroom Boxing boss has also hinted that the matchup, should it materialise, is likely to headline a PBC card in Las Vegas.
And yet, regarding the offer that was made by PBC, Benavidez’s promoter, Smith has insisted that more work still needs to be done.
“I think everyone’s on the same page; everyone kind of wants the fight to happen,” Smith told Boxing News.
“It’s just got to make sense for both of us. But in terms of fighting, [Benavidez has] said that he wants to fight me, and I’d love to fight him. It should be simple to make, but it’s not in boxing. It’s never as straightforward as possible.
“Talks are still ongoing. I’ve got a good team, he’s got a good team behind him, so hopefully they can get down [to business] and make ends meet.
“My goal has always been to win a world title again, and beating David Benavidez gets me there.”
