Smith is focused on beating Bilak

Smith has knocked out 15 of his 27 opponents so far

Liverpool super-middleweight Paul Smith Jnr is treating his eight-round contest against Michael Bilak in Manchester on Saturday as a title fight.

The two men fight on the undercard of Amir Khan's WBA world light-welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena.

"I'll be treating it as a title fight," the mandatory contender for the British title told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Once I win we'll obviously move onto the bigger one."

Smith is due to face reigning British super-middleweight champion and fellow Merseysider Tony Quigley before the end of October.

It's good that the fight is finally on and has got to happen

Paul Smith Jnr on Tony Quigley

The 26-year-old is fighting Bilak to keep active in the meantime but is keen to emphasise he is not taking his Czech opponent lightly.

"The worst thing you can do, which I've done in the past, where you go in for a warm up fight to tick over and you end up getting injured, getting cut," he said.

"I won't be looking past this fight. I've been cut seven times and not one of them has been with a punch, they've all been head clashes.

"I've maybe been lethargic thinking about the next fight, so it won't be happening this Saturday as I've got to much to lose now."

Smith was ringside in March when Liverpool's Tony Dodson and Tony Quigley fought for the British super-middleweight title made vacant by Brian Magee.

And he is now just pleased to be getting his chance to face Quigley for the title.

"It's good that the fight is finally on and has got to happen," he said. "Once the purse bids are open and the envelopes are done then I'll know that it's on."