In January, the 29-year-old travelled to Brooklyn and knocked out Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias in five exciting rounds to win the WBC junior welterweight title.

Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) returns home to make a mandatory defense of his newly-won title against Alberto Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) at Sheffield Arena on June 6, streamed exclusively on DAZN.

Smith is ranked No. 1 by The Ring for its 140-pound title, currently held by Shakur Stevenson. Puello sits four spots below him at No. 5, and this world title fight represents the first of Smith's new long-term Matchroom contract.

Smith won the English, British, Commonwealth and European belts before beating Matias to win the WBC world title but the seven-year pro told talkSPORT that this is just the beginning.

“I feel like I'm not fully at my peak yet. I feel like there's a lot more to come,” he said.

"I believe I'm just getting started. I've reached the pinnacle of boxing, but there's a lot more I want to go on to achieve while the hunger's still there, so we just keep going.”

Sheffield has a rich boxing history.

Smith will have grown up hearing stories about former world champions like the great Prince Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson, Clinton Woods and Paul 'Silky'Jones.

He was competing as an amateur during Kell Brook’s reign as the IBF welterweight champion and had just won the British 140-pound title when Kid Galahad became the IBF junior featherweight beltholder.

He is proud to be carrying the torch for the famous fighting city.

“Massively because I remember being that young kid, looking up to those guys so I've got to remind myself I'm now that guy who people look up to,” he said.

“As much as I don't like to see myself as some sort of celebrity or big time, I'm just a normal kid from Sheffield, but it's nice to know that kids look up to you.”

Smith’s knockout of Matias made him part of a very select group of British fighters who have managed to win a world title on the road.

Smith hasn’t been afforded a soft homecoming against a hand-picked challenger.

His championship reign gets underway with a tough defense against 31-year-old southpaw Puello, who narrowly lost a 12-round majority decision to Matias last summer.

“I've always fought who I’ve needed to fight. I've never avoided anyone, hence Puello. He's my mandatory and a former two-time world champion,” he said.

“There's no hiding at the top. You've got to fight the best when you're when you're world champion.”