Is There Anything Standing In The Way of A Potential Canelo Alvarez-Callum Smith Fight?
Recently, Callum Smith opened the door for a fight against Canelo Alvarez. The WBA and The Ring Super-Middleweight Champion in Smith (27-0) welcomed a challenge, even if he believes that stylistically, he would tower over Canelo. Regardless, his team has eyes on a potential bout with Canelo as well.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Joe Gallagher, Smith’s trainer, discussed the idea of a Canelo bout. He brought up the issues in potentially facing him, whether it be internal or external negotiations.
“Canelo, he’s that puzzle isn’t he,” Gallagher stated. “You can’t work him out in the ring and you can’t work out what he’s going to do outside of the ring, until it’s nailed on.
“Him and Callum Smith would be a great fight. Whether they’re serious about fighting Callum Smith, that’s down to them. If they want to fight Callum Smith and fight the No 1, all they have to do is say, ‘We want to fight you,’ pay the money and the job is done. If they really fancy the job, they’d make an offer, a serious offer. Not like last time they made an offer, and then eventually Callum did accept an offer, but they never came back.”
Smith made his professional debut in 2012. A British Super-Middleweight Champion, “Mundo” won the WBA and The Ring Super-Middleweight Titles in the World Boxing Super Series middleweight finals. His last bout was a unanimous decision win over John Ryder in November. The 30-year-old has talked about facing opponents Canelo has faced, like Daniel Jacobs.
Unlike his trainer, Smith doesn’t believe Canelo is purposefully ducking him.
“I wouldn’t say he’s avoided me,” said Smith on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM. “I just think there’s a big list of opponents who want to fight him, so he’s got the choice of many, and he picks who he wants to fight. Whoever gets the job, takes it.”
If Canelo is not an option, Smith has other opponents ready to face him. Zach Parker is surging in the division, while Ryder is hoping for a rematch. Gallagher knows the champion needs to compete and is looking for the best challenge for his fighter.
“Callum is a world champion, coming up for nearly two years now,” Gallagher went on to say. “The main thing for Callum in this lockdown, we’ve got to get him out and get him busy, and get him going again, whether that means we have to fight a British fighter over here first before we have to go stateside.”