Steel City gym flew in Argentinian sparring partner

But Dalton Smith and his camp were prepared to invest in the future, as Saturday's title eliminator with Mathieu Germain draws close.

The Sheffield super lightweight is being touted as WBC champion Alberto Puello's next opponent, if he comes through this coming weekend in style.

That means Germain must be overcome at all costs - thus the recent expenditure in sparring opponents.

Smith went toe-to-toe with battle-hardened Gustavo Daniel Lemos, at the Steel City gym.

It was a statement of intent, to fly him over from Argentina.

"A year ago, he fought Richardson Hitchins (IBF Super Lightweight Title Eliminator, in the US) and hurt him, and many thought he should have won that fight," Smith told The Star.

"We flew him over because Lemos has a come-forward, relentless style that you don't get over here, so we thought we'd bring him here for two weeks and he gave me some good sparring.

"We got about six spars out of him. It was good having him over; he was good people."

Like Kell Brook, he said, Lemos didn't take prisoners in sparring.

"He came over for the reason, to push me as much as he could.

"In 12 round spars, I'd have eight rounds with him and four with another guy. It gets you prepared as best you can, and you get them to push you as much as possible."

He said Lemos' style resembled that of Canadian Germain.

But Smith said: "Probably Germain doesn't work at the same level of intensity as Lemos does.

"Lemos is one of a kind, he is quite relentless, hence why we got him over."

The Handsworth man reported an injury free camp said he had enjoyed other sparring sessions with fighters from Dave Coldwell's Rotherham gym and the north east."

Some bookies have written Germain off.

But Smith isn't buying into that.

"Whether I am a favourite or not is irrelevant.

"I have been a massive favourite before with hype around me; it doesn't matter.

"People know big American names but not him, so they think he is a walk-over job, but he is not.

"Germain is 11th in IBF (rankings) hasn't not lost in years, and this is a big opportunity for him.

"He knows he could get a world title shot if he upsets the odds. I have to make sure he doesn't do that."

Germain's last two opponents have lost a total of 32 fights between them, but "that doesn't mean anything, he's probably had some of those fights just to keep ticking over," said Dalton.

"He fought twice fought one guy (Steve Claggett) - who gave Teofimo Lopez (WBO World Super Light champion) a lot of trouble. He is no mug.

"Being an underdog will spur him on; last year, people thought Jose Zepeda was too early for me..."

Smith stopped him in five rounds.