By Edward Chaykovsky

Another name is in the running to face WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) on June 20th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. According to a report in Daily Mail, Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) is in the running to fight him. Smith is coming off two hard-fought decision losses to WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham.

The paper spoke to Ward's trainer, Virgil Hunter, who tells them the fight might be a done deal. Previously, Marco Antonio Rubio was mentioned as the comeback opponent for Ward, who has been inactive since a 2013 twelve round decision win over Edwin Rodriguez.

The fight with Smith will be a non-title fight, according to Hunter.

"Smith is who we want and I'm told it's a done deal. But it won't be for Andre's belt even though it will be over the twelve round championship distance," Hunter told the paper.

In other news, WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24KOs) will consider fighting counterman James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) if he beats Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) on May 23rd at the Agganis Arena, in Boston, Massachusetts. The Premier Boxing Champions main event will have the vacant IBF super middleweight title at stake. Froch vacated the title earlier this year.

“James DeGale is fighting one of my old victims Andre Dirrell for the belt that I vacated and I wish him all the best. I hurt my arm quite badly training for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. DeGale was my mandatory and I didn’t want to hold him up so I vacated the belt. I want him to go to America and bring the belt back to England. If he beats Dirrell and looks good then I might end up fighting him, who knows," Froch told Zoo Today.