Don’t Count Callum Smith Out Against Canelo

Callum Smith is in action this weekend in a unification bout at super middleweight against Canelo Alvarez, and one thing he doesn’t lack is confidence that he could pull off the upset of arguably the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter. Just don’t take his last contest against John Ryder last year as a litmus test for it.

Speaking with Chris Mannix on the SI Podcast, Smith said not to look too seriously at the tape of that fight.

“It’s a warmup fight (against Ryder), and people just pick holes in it,” Smith said to Mannix on the SI Boxing Podcast that will drop later on this week. “And all your good fights before on undercards are just forgotten about as if that’s your real version. (They are) just flukes.

“Listen, I know what I’m capable of and what I can do. Listen, I know the version of me that turned up in my last fight I’ll lose (against Alvarez), there’s no two ways about that, but the best version of me turns up, I win.”

That “fluke”‘ that Smith is referring to was the close contest against Ryder where many thought he was the product of a gifted decision win to him last November. Many thought that they should run that fight back, so much so that on the media call this week, John Ryder mentioned he was the standby opponent in the Canelo-Smith fight should either party dropped out.

That would’ve created a title shot for Ryder against Canelo or a chance for revenge against Smith.

Interesting: @_John_Ryder_ reveals he is on standby should either party drop out of #CaneloSmith – possibly setting up a rematch with @CallumSmith23 or surprise opportunity with @Canelo @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/ffNgBjQzUL

— Gayle Lynn Falkenthal (@PRProSanDiego) December 14, 2020

Ryder’s chance at revenge will have to wait as both parties are there and will instead take on fight veteran Mike Guy on the Gennadiy Golovkin-Kamil Szeremeta undercard from the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Florida this Friday.

Back to Smith, the 30-year-old winner of the World Boxing Super Series tournament winner in 2018 and current WBA World Champion feels that stylistically he would poise a problem for Canelo.

“He’s a special fighter,” Smith said. “He’s in the position he’s been in because of what he’s done previously. I just think stylistically; I think I’m hard to beat. I think the best Canelo Alvarez is 160. I’m at 168. I think there are a lot of big people at 168. I’m big, but I believe I got the skills to go with that as well. I just think tactically, and stylistically I’m in this fight to win it.”

We will find out Saturday night if the style difference is the key for Smith at Te Alamodome.