By Edward Chaykovsky

Undefeated super middleweight contender Callum Smith is very interested in the possibility of a domestic showdown with Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale.

If Smith is able to capture the vacant WBC super middleweight title when he faces Anthony Dirrell, he would like to stake that title against DeGale, who holds the IBF belt.

Smith (22-0, 17KO) vs. Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) is waiting for a date and venue to get finalized. It will likely land in May or June.

The WBC belt was vacated by Badou Jack, who in his last fight at 168, back in January, fought DeGale to a controversial twelve round draw. There are many who believe Jack did enough to win that fight.

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, who promote Smith, lost the WBC's purse bid, so it's very likely that Smith will be forced to travel to the United States for the fight with Dirrell.

Should he travel back home with the green belt around his waist, the top priority for him would a unification with DeGale.

Smith told Sky Sports News HQ: "I get on with James and he is a good friend to my brothers. At the minute he is the man to beat in the division as world champion.

"I want to become a world champion so if I beat Dirrell a unification would be a huge fight over here and I am sure he would welcome it as much as I would. Boxing is a business and I think that is the main fight at the end of the line, but I've got to come through the next one. I am fully focused on that first and then we can look to anything else."

"I'm confident and I feel I am good enough to go over there and do a job, and return as a world champion. I'm up against it but I do think it is my time. I'm good enough to do it and a lot of people have backed me from day one to become a world champion and now is the time to prove them right. I think I've become a better fighter now than I was last year."