By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez says he was too good for Callum Smith last Saturday, and he believes that his ability to adapt will help him beat 168-pound champions Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders in his next fight in 2021.
Despite being the smaller fighter, Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) used vast experience, ring IQ, and hand speed advantage to defeat Callum (27-1, 19 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision last Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Callum fought with an injured left bicep
It was later learned that the 6’3″ Smith fought with a detached left bicep, which limited his ability to use that arm with any degree of effectiveness in the second half of the contest.
For the most part, Callum fought with just his right hand, and he could only use his left to throw weak jabs.
Considering that Smith’s primary offensive weapon is his left hook, you can understand what he was up against after he injured his bicep early in the fight. But Canelo still gets full credit for the victory, even though he was fighting a one-armed opponent last night.
Canelo will be ready for Saunders or Plant
“I was just better than he was. And I adapt to all styles. I adapted to Callum Smith this time around, and I’ll always prepare or any styles and I’ll be ready,” said Canelo at the post-fight news conference last Saturday night when asked how he’ll deal with super middleweight champions Caleb Plant or Billy Joe Saunders.
“I’ll always be ready and be the winner.”
“No, it doesn’t matter to me,” said Canelo in talking about the 6’3″ Callum’s seven-inch height advantage. “What matters to me is boxing experience. Whether they’re taller, shorter, that doesn’t matter. My experience is what gives me the ability to fight anyone.
“Yes, I do want to go to Japan,” said Canelo. “I spoke to Eddie [Hearn] as well, and there are good plans in Japan.”
“The best fighters in the world have competed in Japan, competed in Europe and competed in Mexico, and fought in Africa,” said Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso.
“It’s the same thing. Canelo wants to fight in all of those places in England, Africa, and Japan. So, Eddie, it’s all on you,” said Reynoso in putting the ball in promoter Eddie Hearn’s court to make fights happen in those places.
“Look, I want whatever my team wants and whatever Eddy [Reynoso] wants,” said Canelo. “He’s the one that tells me. We’re trying to make history here, to be the second Latino to unify the titles like this,” said Alvarez.
Callum Smith didn’t use his height well by throwing jabs to prevent Canelo from getting in close, and that made it easy for him to crow the taller fighter.
Alvarez’s short-term goal is to unify the 168-lb division
“On the short term, we’ll unify all the 168-pound titles,” said Canelo.
“No, what they want is to see me cut, to see me swollen and see me fall, but boxing isn’t like that. I don’t care,” said Canelo about the fans that want to see Alvarez fight in wars with his opponents.
“I don’t want to keep them happy. That’s not my intention to keep that type of people happy
Trainer Eddy Reynoso said last night that Alvarez would be returning to the ring to face one of the champions at 168 in Mexico in the next three months. He says Alvarez will fight again within 90 days.
IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant (20-0, 12 KOs) is making a voluntary title defense against Caleb Truax on January 30th. We’ll have to see if Plant, 28, wants to prepare to fight Canelo with eight weeks of training.
There won’t be much time for Plant to recover from his fight against Truax before he goes into an abbreviated eight-week camp for the Canelo fight.
WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders would appear to be the more likely of the two 168-pound champions on Canelo’s target list that will be willing to fight him in 90 days. Still, it’s unclear whether he’ll agree to face him in Mexico.
A fight between Sunders and Canelo would do well in the UK, or the U.S, provided that crowds are allowed back by then.
The vaccine for COVID isn’t expected to be given out to the U.S public until the summer; unfortunately, it sounds like Canelo’s plans are to fight in March. If Mexico has looser restrictions on crowds, it makes sense to stage Canelo’s next fight there with Saunders or Plant.
Alvarez noticed Callum’s arm injury early
“Since the fourth or the fifth round, I saw that it was obviously hurting, and I have faith in those type of punches,” said Canelo when asked when did he realize that Callum Smith had an injured left bicep.
“It was the 12th that I saw that he was very hurt. We knew he had a very good left punch, so we worked on that in the gym.
“It would have been nice to have a knockout, but I was very happy and good performance,” said Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso.
“No, it’s too much. 160 and 168 is my best,” said Canelo when asked if he’d entertain the idea of fighting at cruiserweight.
Callum showed little interest in throwing punches in the second half of the contest, and it looked like he was mentally gone.
Callum’s left bicep’s injury must have impacted him more than what some had initially thought because he had nothing left after three or four rounds.
It didn’t help Smith that Canelo kept walloping him with right hooks directly on his left bicep, and you could see him occasionally moving his left arm down to loosen it up.
Errol Spence Jr not in Canelo’s immediate plans
“Yes, I did see him and I’m glad he was here, but the reality is, we have other goals right now, we have the goals for the 168-lb titles,” said Canelo when asked if he’s interested in facing Erro Spence in 2021.
IBF/WBA welterweight champion Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KOs) attended Canelo’s fight with Smith last Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Spence says he’ll go up to 160 if Canelo wants to fight him.
If Canelo tries to get Spence to come all the way up to 168 to face, that would be asking too much of him. Spence would need to move up three divisions to face Canelo at super-middleweight, and it would be a sign that the Mexican fighter isn’t willing to give Errol any concessions.
