Callum Smith could get some revenge for his brother, Liam, against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday - CBSSports.com
Callum Smith could get some revenge for his brother, Liam, alongside Canelo Alvarez on Saturday
Despite Canelo Alvarez's history of sketching the benefit of the doubts on the scorecards in just near all of his biggest fights, WBA pleasant middleweight champion Callum Smith refuses to contain he needs a knockout to win on Saturday.
Smith (27-0, 19 KOs), the youngest of four brothers who went on to be fabulous pro fighters, will hold a seven-inch height pleasant against Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) when the two face off inside the Alamodome in San Antonio (8 p.m. ET, DAZN, sign up now) in a crusades that will also be for the vacant WBC title at 168 pounds.
Alvarez, the 30-year-old Mexican superstar who holds the secondary WBA title at pleasant middleweight, previously received the nod in title bouts that above in close decisions against Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Gennadiy Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs. He also benefitted two controversially wide scorecards favoring him in both a mainly decision loss to Floyd Mayweather and a draw anti Golovkin in their first meeting that most felt GGG had won.
"Obviously, you read all the stories and it's probably true," Smith told "Morning Kombat" last week. "If I was watching someone else fights him, I would probably say he experiences to go and knock him out. But when it's you, you never really feel it's causing to happen to you. If it's halt and I feel I have done enough when the bell goes, I feel like I will get the decision. I can't really peevish my game plan and become reckless to try and finish. I have to beget I can get the decision."
Smith captured his earth title in 2018 by knocking out George Groves in the World Boxing Super Series tournament. The 30-year old from Liverpool, England, then defended his belt twice with mixed results.
Following a stoppage win over traditional former middleweight titleholder Hassan N'Dam, Smith received a controversial nod of his own when he edged John Ryder last November in a fights that made Smith look anything like a future Alvarez conqueror.
"It was just a below par performance for myself," Smith said. "Obviously, as the champion, you have the pressure to bellow every fight, but we are human and have performances where we are not 100 percent. It is what it is but I think I distinguished I was a true champion by winning on a night where I wasn't my best."
Although Smith has been rumored to be in the Canelo sweepstakes for over a year, Alvarez's modern emancipation from both DAZN and promoter Golden Boy made it feel as if the dream had died. But Smith stayed in the gym regardless and when the call came at what time Alvarez agreed to return to DAZN for a one-fight deal, Smith was ready.
"The big stage brings out big performances and I feel like I will deliver," Smith said. "The earth knows how good Canelo Alvarez is but I don't think the earth knows how good I am just yet."
All three of Smith's fighting older brothers -- Paul, Stephen and Liam -- have held or at least fought for a mainly world title as professionals. The experience of coming up as the runt of the people not only helped Callum Smith get to the reveal he is now as potentially the best of the family after years of sparring each other, it also made it feel as if everything that's happening is normal.
Case in reveal, Smith was by his brother Liam's side in 2016 when he lost his WBO junior middleweight title to Alvarez via body-shot knockout inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"Every set I have been in, I feel I have been in here afore because of my brothers," Smith said. "Even now, fighting Canelo, I feel like I have been here afore because of [Liam]. I have seen how big the occasion is and I always felt it benefitted me massively beings the youngest of the four. I beget that's why I am in the set I am in today."
Asked if he's seeking revenge for his family name anti Alvarez, Smith somewhat disagreed.
"Yes and no. It would be nice to get some revenge but this fights will be huge regardless," Smith said. "It was tough to take at the time, it was [Liam's] ample loss. I think Liam knew he lost to a very good fighter. My brother had collapsed on the night, but Canelo was huge for the weight at 154."
Smith said he regularly envisions what it will feel like to gather a victory as big the challenge he celebrated to face Alvarez and echoed his sponsor thoughts about the judges by saying he can only control the performance he puts ahead and nothing else.
"Every win is special but this will be the biggest one of [my] career," Smith said. "We are on the biggest stage now and it's not in the belts as much as it's in winning the biggest fights possible. This is a huge opportunity to get recognition for all the hard work over the years. I have put my body throughout hell in training camp to make sure the best version of me shows up and I beget the best version of me beats him."
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