Liverpool's Paul Smith Jr. says he is targeting major domestic honors in the middleweight division. Smith, 28, fights for the second time at middleweight on September 17, after moving down in weight following defeat to James DeGale last December. Smith, who won and then successfully defended the British super middleweight title once, says the move back to middleweight was inevitable.
"I had my last fight and I'll have this fight to be ranked at middleweight," Smith told BBC Radio Merseyside. "The board will then probably make me mandatory challenger for the British and Commonwealth titles."
Smith's desire to clean up domestically could put him on a collision course with St Helens' Martin Murray, the current holder of the British and Commonwealth titles. The two men share a mutual respect and Smith says if they do meet it will only be if there are titles at stake.
"People keep asking Martin about me and people keep asking me about Martin. If I get nominated to fight for the British and Commonwealth titles, then unless he vacates we're fighting. It's not Martin Murray that I'm screaming out for, it's the titles," said Smith.