‘If Canelo Alvarez wants to fight the true 168lbs champion, Callum Smith is open to it’

Canelo Alvarez

AFTER his world title winning performance against George Groves, WBA super-middleweight champion Callum Smith is widely regarded as the number one in his division. He is now looking to unify and take on the biggest names in the sport, even Canelo Alvarez who still holds a WBA โ€˜regularโ€™ title at 168lbs although his next fight will be a middleweight unification against Danny Jacobs in May.

โ€œCallum is training,โ€ his trainer and manager Joe Gallagher told Boxing News. โ€œCallum wants unification fights. He wants [IBF titlist] Caleb Plant, thatโ€™s a big fight for him. He wants to unify the division at some point.

โ€œHe wants the big fights. Me and Callum have sat down, weโ€™ve looked at the light-heavyweight division, weโ€™ve looked at [WBO 175lbs champion Sergey] Kovalev. [WBA light-heavy boss Dmitry] Bivolโ€™s been mentioned as well and thereโ€™s also the Canelo fight as well. I see the WBA havenโ€™t stripped him of his regular belt. If he wants to fight the true champion of that division and the number one, weโ€™re open for that fight, whether itโ€™s September, October time. From what Iโ€™m hearing Caneloโ€™s got so many dates and after Jacobs and the GGG unfinished businessโ€ฆ Heโ€™s a busy operator but you never know the Callum Smith fight might appease him. As far as Callum Smith is concerned theyโ€™re the big fights and thatโ€™s what weโ€™re after.โ€

Smithโ€™s last three fights were part of his victorious run in the World Boxing Super Series but he has been working with promoter Eddie Hearn. The US arm of Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing has been staging contests for British fighters in America against some of the biggest names in the sport. For instance Rocky Fielding, a victim of Smithโ€™s at British title level, was the last man to take on Canelo Alvarez.

โ€œI donโ€™t think anyone would begrudge Callum having a defence of his WBA title,โ€ Gallagher noted. โ€œBut I think he wants the big fights.โ€

canelo alvarez

โ€œItโ€™s all about the opponents,โ€ he concluded. โ€œAt the end of the day what the fans want to see is the best fighting the best and thatโ€™s Callum Smith wants to do. He wants to fight the best fighters in the world. If the Canelo fight can be done on DAZN, great. If for the Caleb Plant fight to be done, it has to go on Fox Sports, great. We just want to fight the best.โ€

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