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Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez produced an almost flawless display to undo Callum Smith and take the British fighter’s WBA super middleweight world belt.
The Mexican shined in Texas when he nearly froze Smith in 12 rounds with calculated pressure, spiteful punches and evasive defensive work.
Smith struggled to land something heavy and his corner told him he had “one more round” after a torrid ninth.
He struggled admirably but lost 119-109 119-109 117-111 on the judges’ scorecards.
Alvarez, who has just one loss in his 57-fight record, also won the vacant WBC super middleweight world title, meaning he has two of the top four belts at 168 pounds.
“I’m devastated. I came here to win,” Smith told DAZN at the Alamodome in San Antonio. “No excuses, it was great.
“He could have been a better version of me tonight. He’s smart and he’s smart. He closes ground, sets traps, and before you know it, he’s closed ground. Maybe I’ll let him close ground too easily.”
‘A bad beating’
Smith’s seven-inch height advantage had formed much of the foundation for those who claimed he could challenge his underdog status.
But Álvarez refused to step back at any time. He closed the gap patiently, remained compact, showed head movement, and eventually became difficult to hit.
When he was close enough, he struck smartly and charged with his signature body shots.
At the end of the fifth, Smith’s three older brothers yelled “better” from ringside as he started to throw more, but in the seventh, Alvarez, the youngest of seven fighting brothers, landed hard shots to the body on the counter and a good uppercut. .
A hard right hand sent Smith tumbling against the ropes in the ninth and, with a bloody nose, he responded to coach Joe Gallagher that he was “fine” after it became clear he would only get one more round.
Sinisterly, the four-weight world champion Alvarez explained that he knew he could take power from Smith “from the first round” and was never turned away.
He simply presented a puzzle that Smith never seemed to solve, and in the 10th round, the American announcers called the fight “a bad beating.”
“This is one of the best nights I’ve ever had,” Alvarez said, adding that he would consider a third fight with Gennady Golovkin.
“One of the best nights. I will go for more. I want all the belts, no matter who has them. I am not running from anyone. I have fought the best. I have shown the world that I fight.” the best.”
A hunger clearly remains
Alvarez, whose only loss in 15 years was to Floyd Mayweather, continues to underscore why he is the highest paid star in the sport.
A restricted crowd of less than 15,000 may have impacted his overall earnings in his first fight in 13 months, but his quality is undeniable, his rivals are inferior in class, and more importantly, his hunger does not appear to have diminished.
Iconic middleweight Marvin Hagler once said, “It’s hard to get out of bed to do road work at 5am when you’ve been sleeping in silk pajamas.”
The sight of Alvarez walking around the Fight Hotel bubble in designer pajamas this week raised questions about how much more he could give.
His status, purchasing power and lifestyle are far removed from the life he knew on his family’s farm as a child, but his courage and desire certainly remain, and future rivals must find something special to stop him.
Smith can be proud of his own journey to face a man he once dreamed of fighting. However, Alvarez was simply too good.
Class and shouting: what they said …
With a downcast figure in his corner, Smith said he would take some time and consider a move to the 175-pound light heavyweight division.
His sentiment led BBC 5 Live commentator Mike Costello to wonder if he was considering suspending his career at the age of 30.
Briton Billy Joe Saunders, who holds the WBO super middleweight belt, quickly tweeted asking Alvarez to “do it” in 2021, but for the most part, the boxing world just stood by praising the star. biggest in sport.
“It was a masterclass from Canelo,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “I just came out of Callum’s locker room and everyone is talking about Alvarez. He’s so good. Callum never stopped pitching, but he faced the best fighter on the planet.”
BBC Radio 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce added: “That’s what happens when you fight Canelo. You find out things about yourself that you didn’t know and things about him that you didn’t recognize about him before you stepped into the ring. Smith has been broken. Canelo took away his height, reach and confidence. That’s class. “
And former world champion George Groves told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Canelo bullied Smith, knocked him down and used his punching power to control the whole fight.”
