By Elliot Foster
Callum Smith is keen on a showdown with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The WBA ‘Super’ world super-middleweight champion, who also holds the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine belts, made a successful first defence of his crowns earlier this month.
Smith took apart former world champion Hassan N’Dam inside three rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York, dropping him in each round, exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN Stateside.
Immediately afterwards, it looked like the chances of a career-defining clash against the Mexican were relatively.
Eddie Hearn, Smith’s promoter, wants him to be as active as possible and is expected to showcase him in September and December, with more details in due course, while his manager and trainer Joe Gallagher stating that there still remains a chance of the fight happening at the home of Liverpool Football Club, Anfield, before the year is out.
And Callum’s brother Liam Smith, the former WBO super-welterweight champion who lost his belt to ‘Canelo’ in 2016, believes ‘Mundo’ will secure a victory over the storied 28-year-old who turned professional at 15.
He told BBC Sport: "I think if anyone beats ‘Canelo’, it's Callum Smith. It's so good to pit your wits against someone like that.
“‘Canelo' is class, but that is not the be all and end all. Callum is bigger, can box, fight and can dig in. I would be massively confident in him going into that fight and believe he could upset the world.”
Alvarez is set to return on September 14, with a third fight against Gennady Golovkin being discussed a potential option.
"Callum has given us all inspiration," Smith, who expects to fight next in July or August, continued. ”He is so calm and we all played a part in that. Every stage he has come to, he had been there before with one of his brothers. We told people for years how good he was. People maybe thought we were talking up our younger brother. We were not telling lies, he was the best out of us and is slowly but surely proving that.”
Multiple sources are reporting that the team of ‘Canelo’ –– Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions –– are pushing back on the idea of a third fight against Golovkin happening this year and are saying that Smith could be in the frame for September, with Golovkin III being tabbed for May 2020.
2023-10-23 14:53:54
