Exclusive: Dalton Smith 'over the moon' to sign five-fight deal with Hearn

Dalton Smith returns to action this weekend and is ready to 'showcase his skills' on the undercard of Filip Hrgovic's heavyweight clash against Marko Radonkic.

The Sheffield fighter will take on late replacement Brian Pelaez and is a red hot favourite to extend his unbeaten record to 9-0.

The fight will take place in Klagenfurt, Austria, and it will be the second time as a professional that Smith will be fighting on foreign soil.

In 2019, Smith dispatched Marko Radenovic inside three rounds in Italy.

Fighting abroad is nothing new for the 24-year-old. Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, Poland and Turkey are just some of the other countries Smith has fought in during his amateur days with Team GB.

"I did a lot of travelling all over the world so it's nothing new for me I have that experience of fighting in different countries and through the GB squad I stayed in some of the worst places around so I was able to adapt," Smith told Planet Sport.

"Being with Matchroom now, the places are a lot nicer now so it doesn't affect me, it doesn't phase me and like I said, I'm used to travelling."

Smith - who was originally expected to fight out in America for his next fight before the show got cancelled - will take on Spain's Pelaez for the WBA Intercontinental super lightweight title.

In his previous bout, the 24-year-old overcame Lee Appleyard to win the vacant English strap at Manchester Arena in May.

"I'm over the moon. Being able to get these five-fight deals and contracts, that goes down to how I've been performing. When you first sign with Matchroom from having a good pedigree in the amateurs, it's still up to you to prove to them why they signed you.

"Each fight has been a step up and I've boxed at a pretty decent level to say that I'm eight fights in and I've won the English title - I've done it in fashion and every time my opponent's have stepped up so have my performances. That's what I need to keep doing.

"I've got full trust that Eddie Hearn is going to guide my career in the right direction. We're going to do it at my pace and people forget that I'm only eight fights in. It's about getting that experience, fighting all the different styles and slowly progressing my career."

When asked about who he would like to fight in the near future, Smith added: "I think domestically you've got to look at Sam Maxwell, Akeem Ennis-Brown and I want to be pushing towards the British title next year so whoever holds it that's the fight I'll be looking for.

"I'm not one of these to start calling names out, when my opportunity comes that's when the fights will happen," Smith concluded.