The biggest star in the world of boxing, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, returns to the ring this weekend for the first time in 13 months to face Liverpool’s Callum Smith in what promises to be one of the best fights of the year.
Smith’s WBA super middleweight title, Ring Magazine belt and the vacant WBC world title are all on the line in what should be a thrilling contest.
After months of being starved of top-class action, boxing fans have been treated to a flurry of top bouts to end 2020 and this contest is arguably the biggest of them all, with top spot in the super middleweight division up for grabs.
A large crowd is expected to attend the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, where Canelo will step through the ropes, as he does so often in his career, as the red-hot favourite.
Size Matters
Smith is one of, if not the, largest fighters in the super middleweight division and stands at 6ft 3in – six inches taller than Alvarez.
With a significant reach advantage, Smith, who is 7/2 to win this contest, certainly has size in his favour.
Boxing a taller fighter is, however, nothing new to Alvarez, who will be looking to slip inside Smith’s long jab and work on the inside using his speed and sublime skillset to do the damage.
Canelo is a short-price favourite at 1/6 to emerge victorious, but there is no doubting that Smith will cause him problems.
Packing power in both hands and also able to work well in close proximity, the monster that is Smith at 168lbs will appeal to plenty of punters looking for an upset
Canelo the Kingmaker Called the Shots
Alvarez is the biggest name in world boxing, the 30-year-old Mexican continuously churns out huge box office numbers around the world, and his supporters flock in their droves to see him in action.
Despite Smith lining up as the defending champion for this bout, Canelo is unquestionably the ‘A-side’ and had a number of opponents to choose from.
The world of boxing stops when Canelo steps through the ropes and the revenue his fights generate enable him to dictate terms and exactly who joins him in the ring to share the riches on offer.
In the midst of the global pandemic, Canelo’s next fight was often mooted and Smith, given his status and ranking, was always a frontrunner. But the Mexican kept his opponent waiting and this fight was only officially announced with four weeks’ notice.
Preparation and logistics for Smith and his team have been far from ideal, whereas Canelo, who resides in Mexico, has simply crossed the border into Texas.
Canelo Win on the Cards
During his 15-year professional career, Alvarez has gone the distance 20 times and only Floyd Mayweather Jr has defeated him on the judges’ scorecards.
In order for Smith to upset the odds in this contest, he may need to get the job done inside the 12 rounds.
It is 6/5 that the fight goes the distance and 5/8 either fighter wins via KO, TKO or DQ.
Smith will be competitive early on and has shown himself to be a durable fighter in the past, so this one is expected to go deep.
However, Canelo is a brutal counter puncher with superior speed to Smith, his slick style and savage body shots likely to prove too much for the Brit.
At 33/20, yet another win for Canelo on points is an appealing wager.
*All odds correct at time of writing