Smith: I’m ready for world title shot Champion Jonas eager for more

Liam Smith wants world title shots and blockbuster high-profile name fight nights, whichever comes his way first as he prepares to return to the ring against Hassan Mwakinyo in Liverpool on Saturday night.

The 34-year-old is riding the momentum of impressive wins over Anthony Fowler and, most recently, Jessie Vargas in New York having been dealt a setback in defeat to Magomed Kurbanov in Russia back in May 2012.

“I don’t want to sit here and keep having tick-over fights and keep getting little paychecks here and there,” said Smith in Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. “I want to have a huge fight people will talk about or I want to challenge for a world title again.

“I’m two, three and four in three of the governing bodies so I want to beat Hassan well on Saturday and prove I’m ready for another shot at a world title.

“If you can’t deliver another world title fight because the belts are tied up, then I want a big fight people are talking about.