By Elliot Foster

Paul Smith could have his third shot at a world title scrapped.

The Liverpool super-middleweight, who has fought for global honours twice and been in the ring with pound-for-pound star Andre Ward, was last in action last September, exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Smith stopped Daniel Regi at the O2 Arena, as part of the undercard to Gennady Golovkin’s IBF, WBA Super, WBC and IBO world middleweight title defence against IBF welterweight king Kell Brook.

And the Scouser, who currently holds a ring record of 38-6 with 22 early endings, looked set to fight for a secondary belt later this year.

Boxing Scene understood that an announcement would be made this week that ‘Real Gone Kid’ would challenge Tyron Zeuge for the WBA ‘regular’ 168-pound belt in Germany on March 18.

But that now looks very far-fetched after the WBA ordered 24-year-old Zeuge to make a mandatory defence against Isaac Ekpo, meaning that if Smith is to fight the German, as planned, he must rely on the 34-year-old (31-2, 24 KOs) stepping aside.

“Sauerland Promotions sent out a special permit request to do the Paul Smith Jnr. bout but we have ordered a mandatory fight against Isaac Ekpo,” WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza told World Boxing News.

“The Smith fight is unlikely to be approved unless Ekpo agrees to step aside.”

Further details will be revealed in due course.