Callum Smith has revealed that he did get an offer to face fellow super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Smith, the WBA titleholder, discussed the possibility of him facing Saunders, who holds the WBO title since April. Given how both fighters have indicated their respective desires to have title unifications and big fights, a fight between the two British stars is right up their alley and Smith even revealed that he has already been sent an offer to face Saunders later this year.
“I do believe they have made an offer. I’m not sure the ins and outs of it. I do believe it was a 50/50 split on BT Sport pay-per-view. That is the only detail I know so far. We will speak through it (this week) and if that is the next move, then that is the next move," Smith said.
The offer is a somewhat surprising one given that Smith and Saunders are promoted by Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, respectively, two of Britain's biggest boxing rivals and rarely do those two ever work together, much less so on a fight of this magnitude for British boxing. The current offer would have the fight be broadcast on BT Sport pay-per-view in the United Kingdom. BT Sport broadcasts many of Warren's boxing shows in the United Kingdom.
But that's not the only big fight Smith is targeting and his primary focus is getting unified middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez to offer him a fight. Alvarez is scheduled to fight on September 14 but he still has no opponent yet. Although the two likeliest names to face him are still former middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, Smith is still among others in the running to face Alvarez.
Smith said he would take an offer to face Alvarez immediately but realized that it solely depended on if Alvarez's personal preference for an opponent.
“He is probably the biggest name in boxing in the minute. Who he wants to fight, he will fight. It’s good to be in the mix and if the phone rang it’s a fight I would definitely take, a fight I do want but, personally, I don’t think it will be me next because I still think he fights Golovkin to be honest with you," Smith said.
Smith has held the WBA title since September 2018 when he defeated George Groves in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to win the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Smith has only made one title defense, a third-round technical knockout win over Hassan N'Dam at Madison Square Garden back on June 1.
