Liam Smith has not boxed since his rematch defeat to Chris Eubank Jr in September.
The pair split two fights, with Smith stopping Eubank in four the first time around, but then being halted in 10 in the second fight.
A trilogy Eubank bout is one the 35-year-old Liverpool star is keen on, but after two consecutive box office fights, and having fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia, the 33-4-1 middleweight contender only wants big fights.
“When you get to that stage of their career it’s up to them,” said Smith’s Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom. “I know the Josh Kelly fight is something Adam Booth [Kelly’s trainer] would like, that’s a great fight, possibly a good fight for Liam and Liam is very keen on the trilogy with Chris Eubank Jr because that was 1-1, but I’m not sure how quickly that would be [made], but that’s up to him. When you’ve fought two pay-per-views back-to-back, and you’ve done that had those big nights, that’s all he [Smith]’s after right now, those very, very biggest nights. So there’s only two or three names there and it just depends on him. Eubank, possibly Benn, possibly Brook. Liam might see himself as above that [Kelly] but let’s see. I think Liam wants to fight again, that’s how I understand it, and he’s a fighter at heart. He knows nothing else. But he’ll want the really big nights to whet his appetite and there’s not that many.”
Sheffield star and former world champion Brook is often at Boxxer events, but Shalom still does not know if the ex-welterweight king will fight again.
“He’s obviously flirted with the idea [of boxing on] and things like that, and he’s talked about Chris Eubank Jr and I still think any British fight…” Shalom paused for thought, “I expect Kell to want to wait for the situation to clear around the Conor Benn situation, but I think he will take the best opportunity that presents itself for him, and so he should. Personally, I’m close to Kell outside of the sport and I just want him to make the right decision.”
