Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith Preview: Two super-middleweight titles at stake Dec 19, 2020, 1:05pm EST
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Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images
On Saturday night in the Alamodome in San Antonio, top pound for pound fighter Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) will take on Callum Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) for Smith’s WBA super middleweight title and the vacant WBC belt. Related
Canelo has been hopping around weight classes lately, following his fights with Gennady Golovkin he went up to super-middleweight and grabbed the WBA belt from Rocky Fielding. He then defended his middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs and in his last fight moved up to light heavyweight and brutally knocked out Sergey Kovalev.
Posted on 12/19/2020
By: Hans Themistode
Normally around this time, Canelo Alvarez is busy patting himself on the back after a successful year. However, with a worldwide pandemic pushing the Mexican native’s 2020 debut back by several months, Alvarez will look to make the best of a truncated year.
The jokes surrounding the size difference between Alvarez and his opponent later on tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in Callum Smith, have been prevalent. With that being said, the massive height and reach advantages won’t stop Alvarez from bullying Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) on the night.
For the British product, he’s a relative unknown stateside. Yet, just one look at his credentials is all you need to see to understand just how good he is. With both the WBA and Ring magazine super middleweight titles around his waist, Smith has made it look easy for the majority of his career.
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I’m sure Callum Smith, set to face off with Canelo Alvarez tonight in Texas on DAZN, has lost his shit, snapped, thrown F-bombs and the like. But I simply couldn’t imagine it as I tossed questions at the Liverpool pugilist on Thursday.
He admitted isn’t thrilled by taking media queries, but he gets it; the bigger the fight, the more these sort of obligations you have to deal with. “Enjoy it or not, it’s gotta be done,” said the 27-0 (19 KO) Smith.
Image: Canelo vs Smith is for the WBA and WBC super-middleweight titles
There have been many Brits who have ventured abroad in pursuit of a result that would be talked about in generations to come – one or two arrived back home amid glorious celebration, the vast majority with their tail between their legs and only stories of their bravery and gutsiness to cling onto.
But there is something special about taking on the challenge of Saul Canelo Alvarez, a bona fide superstar in the US and Mexico who is simultaneously in the elite handful of boxers on the planet and also at his absolute peak.
Canelo Alvarez vs Callum Smith: The breakdown
AGE AND PHYSICAL EQUIPMENT
Alvarez: Canelo is 30 years old and has never looked stronger. Once upon a time he was a welterweight. He won his first world title at a catchweight below the super-welter limit in 2011. He was monstrously strong at 154lbs and is a natural middleweight. Yet in November of last year he was fighting up at light-heavy and stopping no less a foe than world champion Sergey Kovalev. The only question mark is what kind of a toll moving up in weight and back down to super-middle will have on his body. He has though yo-yo-ed up and down in weight before and seemingly thrived through it.