Liam Smith is pushing and doing everything possible to set down a fight with fellow former world champion Kell Brook.

Brook returned to the ring last month in Sheffield, snapping a 14 month layoff with a one-sided knockout of Mark DeLuca. Smith was sitting at ringside and made it clear that he wanted to face Brook next.

Not long ago, Smith signed a promotional agreement with Eddie Hearn, who also handles the career of Brook.

Brook's handlers are applying pressure on Hearn to make the fight.

He feels Brook is stepping away from their fight - for the same reason that Amir Khan is not very keen on facing Brook.

Brook has long claimed that Khan was always avoiding their clash - because he didn't want to lose to another top name in the UK. And Smith believes Brook is using the same logic to delay their potential meeting.

Brook is trying to get in the ring with WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Ironically, last year it was Khan who rejected a lucrative deal to face Brook and instead agreed to fight Crawford - who stopped the Bolton boxer in six rounds.

"It's no secret that I've tried my best to make that fight. My management are trying to push [promoter Eddie Hearn]," Smith told Sky Sports.

"I turned up at his fight making it known that I wanted to fight him. Kell seems to be going every way apart from [fighting] me.

"What he says about Amir Khan is what he's doing with me. I know he's not scared to fight me. But he's scared of losing to me, definitely. He would prefer to fight Terence Crawford which I don't think he will get."