Hearn: Smith Will Face Pedraza-Cherry Winner Next

Stephen Smith is next in line for a shot at a super-featherweight world title after blowing away Devis Boschiero in six rounds on Saturday night.

The Liverpool fighter delighted a home crowd at the Olympia as a series of vicious body shots earned him a TKO victory and a crack at Jose Pedraza's IBF super-featherweight title.

With his brothers Paul and Liam already earning world title shots and younger sibling Callum on the rise, Smith's victory was another feather in the cap of one of England's foremost fighting families.

The damage had been done in the early exchanges but the finish came through a vicious left to the rib cage - one of numerous similar punches from Smith - that crumpled Boschiero.

The Italian, who had never been stopped in 41 previous fights, spat out his gumshield but bravely beat the referee's count - although was ushered to continue without putting it back in.

Pedraza (20-0-KO12) is the new Puerto Rican sensation, but will take on Edner Cherry (34-6-2-KO19) in Ohio on October 3, and Smith's promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport is adamant that whoever wins, Smith will be challenging.

"It will be next," he told Sky Sports. "After the Pedraza-Cherry fight, he will be in line. It's been a frustrating time for him; he won the WBC Silver and went to number two, then had to have an elbow operation and he had kidney stones, so it was a long time waiting for this chance. And we knew their was no going back from this one.

"But we know he can go to sleep tonight as the mandatory challenger and go to sleep knowing his next fight will be for a world title."