Joe Smith Jr. wants to fight Artur Beterbiev, Dmitriy Bivol and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at light heavyweight.
The 32-year-old is the WBO champion after winning the vacant belt back in April against Maxim Vlasov, and fights Callum Johnson on January 15 in a defence of his title.
The American fought WBA title holder Bivol in 2019 and came off second best, but believes he is much improved now.
Speaking to Forbes, he said: “I still look at myself as an underdog until I beat everybody. I want to get the fight with Beterbiev and with Bivol again to show I am now the best. I had a rough fight with Bivol the first time. I believe I wasn’t the same person I am now.
“After fighting him, I learned a lot. I’ve had so much competition since then.”
He also said that in order to make sure he is financially comfortable, he needs to stay in the sport, and is even hoping for a fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo.
“I don’t want to rely on boxing all the time. I want to make sure I have something before my career is over,” he explained. “Right now, there are a lot of opportunities. I see [promoter] Eddie Hearn keep mentioning that Canelo is coming to light heavyweight. I could see him wanting to fight a Bivol or a Beterbiev first.
“But there could be a shot there for me, maybe during Cinco de Mayo. I’m motivated to look good and win this fight against Johnson. I’d prefer to unify the titles. But I couldn’t turn down a Canelo payday.”