Callum Smith Believes He Holds The Key Ingredient To Defeat Canelo Alvarez
WBA “Super” World Super Middleweight champion Callum Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) is set to fight the biggest fight of his career. On December 19, he will step into the ring to face WBA ‘Regular’ World 168-pound champion, Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs). The bout will air from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, live on DAZN.
Alvarez is one of the elite fighters in the world and the sport’s biggest cash cow. That will make this Smith’s entry into big-time boxing. But for the 30-year-old from Liverpool, England, he feels he has a distinct advantage heading to this fight: his height and overall size. At 6’3”, Smith will have a significant height and reach advantage over his 5’8” opponent. That imposing size is backed by more than adequate boxing skills and good power in both hands. For anyone who has seen him fight, he has the frame of a much larger man. It is a wonder how he can cut down to the 168-pound weight limit.
FOR SMITH, SIZE MATTERS
Smith told ESPN he feels Alvarez is more of a middleweight than a true super middleweight. This factor potentially makes his greater size the difference maker in the fight.
“In my opinion, no, he’s not a super middleweight. Yes, he’s been there before, fought Kovalev, but if you look at the champions at super middleweight, they are all big lads.
There’s only so much size your ability can make up for. We saw it with Vasiliy Lomachenko against Teofimo Lopez. I believe that will be the case for Canelo against me, I will be too big for him.
But I’m not just a big lump, I’ve got skills and ability, too. I’ve shown I belong at a world level. If I can use the size and ability, I’ve got the beating of Canelo at 168 pounds.”
Smith points to Alvarez’s November 2019 stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) as a sign of some flaws he can exploit. He felt that the 30-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico was lazy at times against Kovalev and could have been more precise in his work.
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Ultimately Smith says he brings a style to the table that Alvarez has never had to face in his career. The respect is there. Although, in the end, the feeling is he has what it takes to have his hand raised in victory.
“He’s a very good fighter. He can box on the back foot, he’s got good head movement, he’s got good lateral movement, he’s smart, he’s strong and I will be prepared for the hardest fight of my career, but I believe I’ve got the beating of him. If I deliver the best of my ability, I beat him.”
It is one thing to have full confidence in your ability to beat the likes of Canelo Alvarez. It is something different to execute a winning strategy once you see what the red-headed Mexican has to offer.
This will be the third defense of Smith’s world title. Will he shock the boxing world and step into boxing stardom, or will he succumb and melt under the bright lights? Those questions will all be answered on December 19 in the Lone Star state.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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