- Canelo Alvarez will face WBA “super” super middleweight champion Callum Smith on December 19, 2020 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium or Alamodome in Texas.
- This will be Alvarez’s first fight as a free agent and first of the year.
- Alvarez is currently a -500 betting favorite to beat Smith.
Canelo will fight before the year is over.
After a legal battle with his promoters, it was possible that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would not fight this year. However, after the dispute was resolved, his team quickly moved to find a suitable opponent for the world’s no. 1 ranked Pound for Pound fighter. A showdown against IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant did not materialize, but on Tuesday, Canelo finalized a title unification bout against fellow WBA champion Callum Smith:
🚨 𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗢𝗡! 👊@Canelo 𝐯𝐬 @CallumSmith23
👑 WBA & Ring Super-Middleweight Championship#CaneloSmith | December 19 on @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/cF4BdPeFWX
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) November 17, 2020
Alvarez is the WBA “regular” super middleweight champion. Smith is the WBA “super” super middleweight champion. And after December 19th, only one of them can claim to be the WBA super middleweight king.
Canelo Wanted A Title Fight
Canelo is a Free Agent. So Now What? https://t.co/SiOdoR5kPq pic.twitter.com/m81RFf1Uln
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) November 10, 2020
After his split with Golden Boy, free agent Alvarez tried to negotiate with the Premier Boxing Champion for a fight against IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant. However, PBC reportedly made a counter offer for Alvarez to face Andre Dirrell or Chris Eubank Jr. first before taking on Plant in a pay-per-view event. Since Alvarez didn’t want to sign a deal for more than one fight, the negotiations were called off. Then came Eddie Hearn.
Matchroom has a stable of fighters that include Smith, Billie Joe Saunders, or Gennadiy Golovkin. Golovkin would have been the biggest name because he and Canelo have a history. But Triple G is scheduled to take on IBF mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta next and with Canelo asking for a title fight in his return bout, Hearn matched him with Smith.
The 30-year old will try to avenge his older brother Liam, who lost his WBO light middleweight title to Alvarez when the two fought at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington Texas in 2016.
Coming Off a Controversial Win
Callum Smith will fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on December 19
Details👇
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) November 17, 2020
Smith is coming off a controversial win against the unheralded John Ryder last November 23rd. Mundo was a massive -2500 betting favorite against Ryder but the fight was surely not a mismatch. The +1400 underdog was able to bully the bigger Smith inside the ring and fought effectively on the inside.
The champion had his moments but looked flat in the bout. Smith gave a lot of ground to someone whom he was supposed to dispose of without too much difficulty. However, the judges gave the nod to Smith and scored the bout 116-112, 116-112, and 117-111 in favor of the youngest of the Smith brothers of England.
Mundo has been eyeing a move to 175 pounds and it remains to be seen if he can make 168 pounds consistently without draining himself. However, if the Brit brings his A-game against Alvarez, then we could have an interesting bout. It can be recalled that Alvarez had a pretty even fight with Kovalev before knocking out Krusher. Canelo also had trouble with Daniel Jacobs before pulling off a close decision victory.
Heavy Betting Favorite
It’s official, @Canelo will fight Callum Smith to unify super middleweight titles on Dec. 19 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/7g4cbrwSG1
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 17, 2020
While Smith could provide Alvarez a challenge, the sportsbooks aren’t giving the British fighter much of a chance against the Mexican superstar. According to the current betting odds from SportsBetting.ag, Canelo is a -500 odds on favorite against Smith, who is currently listed at +395 in the same sportsbook.
Alvarez is 11-0 with one draw in his last 12 bouts and has not lost since his only pro defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Since that defeat, Canelo has won world titles in three different divisions including the WBO light heavyweight title when he stopped Sergey Kovalev in his most recent fight last November 2, 2019.
Canelo won the “regular” super middleweight title by defeating Rocky Fielding in 2018. He moved back to middleweight for his next bout, where he defeated Danny Jacobs to retain the Ring, lineal, and WBC middleweight titles while annexing the IBF middleweight belt.
