SMITH CLOCK WATCHING

RUSH JOB: Smith

CALLUM SMITH wants to dive back in at the deep end with a super-middleweight unification fight against David Benavidez or Caleb Plant.

The Scouser, 30, expects to have been out of the ring for around a year by the time he returns to action and normally would have liked to have had a warm-up first.

But he knows that time is of the essence at this stage of his career and that is why he is itching for a chance to put his WBA title on the line against WBC champion Benavidez or IBF top dog Plant.

Smith, whose last defence was against John Ryder in November, said: “It’s hard, it’s a Catch-22. It’s looking like I could be close to, if not fully, 12 months out of the ring.

“If I was offered a big fight, we can’t really afford to waste another six months having a tune-up fight.”

Smith has also been tipped to face Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in September after Billy Joe Saunders pulled out of contention.