Callum Smith: ‘Beterbiev isn’t invincible. He can be hurt’

Canelo Alvarez vs Callum Smith

CALLUM SMITH is waiting. He had been holding out hope for a clash with Canelo Alvarez. But the Mexican star was heading in another direction before the global lockdown shut down the sport. After a closer-than-expected WBA super-middleweight title defence against John Ryder, Smith had been eager to box early in 2020. โ€œI still believe Iโ€™m the best super-middleweight in the world. The rankings still have me as number one. A bad performance doesnโ€™t take that away from me. I believe Iโ€™ll beat whoever I need to beat to prove myself as the number one in the division. I think Iโ€™ve shown whether I perform or donโ€™t perform, Iโ€™ll always do enough to win,โ€ Callum told Boxing News.

โ€œ[John Ryder] done it the right way, he won his eliminator, he won his final eliminator, heโ€™s a good fighter. Heโ€™s an underrated fighter,โ€ Callum continued, adding, โ€œI thought the decision was the right decision. I thought I won the fight. I still stand by that.โ€

It could have led him to that showdown with Alvarez. โ€œI was thinking if Iโ€™m ever going to get the Canelo fight, itโ€™ll be now after that last performance,โ€ Smith observed. โ€œI do think stylistically Iโ€™m not ideal for a small super-middleweight moving up from middleweight. Iโ€™m not saying heโ€™s avoiding me or heโ€™s scared to fight me. But I do think stylistically Iโ€™m not ideal.โ€

He had been training to be ready to fight on May 2. Those discussions with Canelo however broke down. โ€œI was involved in negotiations for the biggest fight possible for anyone around my weight,โ€ he reflected. โ€œNegotiations arenโ€™t straightforward when youโ€™re at the highest level. Thatโ€™s part of boxing youโ€™ve got to learn to deal with.

โ€œIโ€™m guessing if that [Canelo-Billy Joe Saunders] fight doesnโ€™t happen itโ€™ll be because heโ€™s agreed to fight โ€˜GGGโ€™ [Gennady Golovkin]. So Iโ€™m not sitting around waiting for that fight again. Iโ€™d like to just carry on with my own career. Secure whatever fight I can, the best one possible.โ€

Americaโ€™s Danny Jacobs, promoted by Matchroom like Smith, is a likely target for the Liverpudlian. โ€œA fight with him, if I canโ€™t get one of the other champions, is probably the fight that makes the most sense for me,โ€ Smith said. โ€œIf Billy Joe fights Canelo, then thereโ€™s Caleb Plant, IBF champion, David Benavidez, WBC champion. Danny Jacobs has just stepped up and beat Chavez. Heโ€™s a big name, a huge name in the States. Heโ€™s a good fighter, someone I do rate.

โ€œI feel Iโ€™m the best in the world and I believe I can cement that by beating some of the bigger names out there and Danny Jacobs definitely is one.โ€

It is unclear how future boxing events will be staged in a world blighted by the coronavirus pandemic. But itโ€™s plausible that it will come back in different states in America at different times. Smith is perfectly prepared to travel for the Jacobs fight. โ€œIโ€™m not one of these whoโ€™s hell bent on home advantage, I will go to the States. I believe Iโ€™ll perform wherever the fight is,โ€ he said.

He points out, โ€œI donโ€™t need Canelo Alvarez to be involved in big fights.โ€ Light-heavyweight, as well as super-middle, is stacked with world-class potential opponents. โ€œ[Dmitry] Bivolโ€™s another good fighter, I boxed him in the amateurs. Heโ€™s a good fighter. Thereโ€™s a lot of good ones who arenโ€™t champions, Marcus Browne, Badou Jack. Thereโ€™s a lot of good names there,โ€ Smith said.

When Smith was an amateur welterweight, he was in camp in Russia with Artur Beterbiev, now the unified WBC and IBF light-heavyweight champion. โ€œHe dropped a couple in sparring. We kind of knew that before going over there he was heavy-handed and he proved it while we were over there. Iโ€™ve seen a lot of his fights, heโ€™s put a load away and he continued to do it in the pros,โ€ Smith said.

Smith was training alongside gym-mate Callum Johnson ahead of the latterโ€™s gallant world title loss to Beterbiev. โ€œTactically I thought him and Joe [Gallagher, their trainer] got it spot on,โ€ Smith said. โ€œ[Beterbiev] is a little vulnerable himself. He can be hurt, heโ€™s not invincible.

โ€œHe can be hurt but he can certainly hurt his opponents.

โ€œI do believe Iโ€™m good enough and big enough to compete at world level and win a world title at 175lbs. Iโ€™ve always said itโ€™s inevitable at some point. [But] Iโ€™ve always said Iโ€™d like to achieve as much as I can at 168lbs before making the jump up.โ€

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