News18 Nov, 2020 by Deke Smith | Quick read
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Canelo Alvarez has taken to social media to announce an opponent for his long-awaited ring return. Making his second appearance at super-middleweight, he will face Callum Smith in a 12 rounder for Smith's WBA (super) and The Ring super-middleweight titles on December 19.
The World title contest, set to take place in the US, will see both men return to the ring for the first time in over a year, with each having last fought in November of 2019.
Smith's last outing saw him make a successful (yet controversial) defence of his WBA belt against John Ryder. Meanwhile, Canelo made a massive statement by stepping up to light-heavyweight and stripping the WBO title from Sergey Kovalev.
Álvarez already holds the 'regular' version of Smith's WBA 'super' world title, having ventured into the super-middleweight division once before to win the belt from Rocky Fielding. Despite Fielding's significant height and reach advantage, it was a quick night's work for Álvarez, who proved himself levels above his British opponent, winning by TKO in the third round.
Smith, however, has operated at a much higher level than had Fielding and carry's an even greater height and reach advantage. With that said though, the boxing world was wholely unimpressed with Smith's latest performance against John Ryder, over whom he also had several inches in both height and reach. Many, including myself, felt Ryder won that contest, with his compact frame proving to be a problem for the tall and upright Callum Smith.
A win for Álvarez (53-1-2) - widely considered the biggest star in the sport and one of the best active boxers in the world - would further cement his legacy and claim to pound for pound status. For Smith (27-0), who has remained somewhat low-key since claiming his titles in 2018, a win against Álvarez would see him reach a global audience and as a bonus, would see him avenge brother Liam's KO loss to Álvarez back in 2016.
Watch the full Canelo Álvarez vs Liam Smith fight below -
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