Liam Smith Could Get His Wish over Kell Brook Fight, Provided Numbers Add Up

The Smiths wrote a song entitled "I Want The One I Can't Have" back in 1985. For boxer Liam Smith (no relation), it seems an appropriate anthem to sum up his current situation.

If you didn't already know, Beefy is one of four boxing brothers from Liverpool, England.

While older siblings Paul and Stephen fell short in their attempts to win world titles, and with baby bro Callum waiting for his opportunity, Liam stands alone as the family's only world champion.

The 27-year-old super welterweight currently holds the WBO belt, having claimed the vacant strap with victory over John Thompson in October 2015. He has since made one successful defence, against Jimmy Kelly at the end of last year.

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However, Smith wants more. He now wants big names and money-spinning bouts. To be more specific: He craves Kell Brook.

His next outing, however, is already set in stone—he will face Predrag Radosevic in Liverpool on June 4.

To be kind, it is not one that sets pulses racing. To be honest, it looks a routine defence against a relatively unknown foe.

Radosevic has a 30-1 (11 KOs) record, with his solitary defeat coming at the hands of middleweight Felix Sturm back in July 2013.

Since that loss, the 31-year-old from Montenegro has fought a grand total of 17 rounds.

Smith said of Radosevic, per Behind The Gloves: "It’s a great fight for me. I asked for this opponent for my first defence. He’s a good solid European fighter and he’s only lost to Felix Sturm at middleweight so it’s a good voluntary defence. I’m happy with the opponent."

Radosevic is ranked in the top 10 by the WBO, according to FightNews.com. Solid is an acceptable term to describe him. Smith, though, wants spectacular. Solid earns you pennies, spectacular brings in pounds.

If you inspect the list of super welterweights, there are plenty of names to go after.

The Charlo brothers—Jermell and Jermall—are high-class operators. There's Erislandy Lara, too.

Miguel Cotto may come back at 154 pounds when he eventually makes a ring return following his defeat to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Yet Smith, along with his promoter, Frank Warren, faces a battle to get any of those big names at super welterweight to travel to England. Hosting unification fights costs serious money. Cotto doesn't even hold a title, yet he would be the most expensive of the lot.

Instead, the fighter-promoter combo are looking closer to home for potential opponents. Smith told FrankWarren.com:

"

I’m going to be brutally honest; Kell Brook is the fight I want. I would bite your hand off for that fight. Kell is a nice lad and I get on with him but it’s a fight that people would love to see.

Frank made an offer and started the ball rolling. If they were keen on that fight they could have easily had it. Don’t talk about dominating 147 pounds and 154 pounds and then fight an opponent at 140 pounds. If you’re going do it do it and fight one of the champions at 147 pounds or 154 pounds.

"

Per NextUKFight, Warren's offer was substantial:

As yet, it doesn't seem to have tempted the IBF welterweight champion, who is still to officially confirm who he will fight next.

Jessie Vargas—the 140-pound fighter to whom Smith made reference in his quotes—is the favourite to face Brook.

WBO champion Vargas told David Anderson of the Mirror: "The only bad thing on my part is it seems Kell Brook wants it in England. I would like it in the US, but we’re trying to come to an agreement."

George Gigney of Boxing News suggested on Twitter that an agreement is not too far away:

Brook is in a similar situation to Beefy.

He holds a major belt, yet needs a name to both bolster his CV and also boost his bank balance. It takes a long time to reach the top, so fighters should not be chastised for wanting to cash in on their success.

So could a domestic clash—potentially at the end of 2016 or early in 2017—be the answer for both men?

Yes...and no.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has already stated Brook will eventually move up in weight.

He certainly has the body to cope with campaigning at super welter, or even middleweight. His strength is a key asset at 147 pounds, yet Brook is much, much more than just a physical bully.

Hearn told the Daily Mail (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com): "I can see him [Brook] winning world titles at both light middleweight and middleweight and there are tempting fights to be made against Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez."

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

There was no mention of Smith's name, yet facing his fellow Englishman would give Brook an immediate opportunity to secure a title at 154 pounds.

Brook knows what it is like to be in Smith's shoes, too. The Yorkshireman has pushed hard for a domestic clash of his own against Amir Khan, albeit without any success.

That fight has never seemed further away than now.

After being knocked out by Alvarez, Khan said, per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport: "I respect him [Brook], he's got a world title, but he's not a big name. He's gone down his route, I've gone down my route and I don't like him."

Brook, like Smith, has plenty of avenues to explore in his current division.

Former opponent Shawn Porter takes on WBA champion Keith Thurman—the winner of that contest, which takes place on June 25, would certainly appeal.

There is also WBC champion Danny Garcia, although Khan remains the mandatory challenger for that title, as well as Timothy Bradley, Lamont Peterson and Errol Spence Jr.

If, however, Brook is open to the idea of moving on up, Smith should be seriously considered.

Brook's trainer, Dominic Ingle, believes it would all come down to one thing—money.

"I wouldn’t be opposed to it," he said, speaking to Bleacher Report from Russia, where he was waiting to work Bob Ajisafe's corner for the light heavyweight's clash with Umar Salamov on May 21.

"The plan for Kell is to get the next fight out of the way and get the WBO belt [from Vargas].

"But Kell is never against a domestic fight. He thinks they’re good.

"It’s an interesting fight [against Smith]. But there’s got to be enough public interest in it. It’s all about the numbers, and that's all down to Eddie Hearn.

"If the money was right, and it was a big enough event, he would fight Liam."

Considering Warren has apparently already tested the water with an initial offer, Ingle's quotes should offer further encouragement to Smith's team.

It would be hoped a deal doesn't end up being scuppered by negotiations.

The duo are managed by rival promoters, yet Warren made public his willingness to work with Hearn over a different domestic clash, between lightweight world champions Terry Flanagan—Warren's man—and the Matchroom-promoted Anthony Crolla.

There should be enough money floating around to satisfy all parties.

Hearn has the financial muscle of Sky Sports behind him, too. Whisper it quietly, but Brook vs. Smith has serious pay-per-view potential.

While Brook would see it as a chance to become a two-weight champion, opening up new possibilities in a different weight division, Smith gets the showdown he desperately wants.

Of course, it is all pie-in-the-sky stuff until both have come through their next outings.

To borrow another song from The Smiths, "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out." Smith should not turn the light out on facing Brook, but the only thing he can control now is his performance against Radosevic.

Rob Lancaster is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes used in the article were obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.