Duddy is set for June title tilt

John Duddy outpointed Howard Eastman in Belfast

John Duddy is likely to fight world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik for the WBC version of the title on 7 June at Madison Square Garden.

Promoter Bob Arum has pencilled in the Saturday date for the New York fight, provided that Duddy overcomes Tunisian Walid Smichet on 23 February.

Pavlik meets Jermain Taylor, the man from whom he took the world belt, in a non-title fight a week earlier.

Duddy has won all his 23 professional fights, including 17 knockouts.