Callum Smith: Canelo Alvarez is unbeatable
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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Callum Smith believes that Canelo Alvarez is currently unbeatable.
Alvarez defeated Smith by a unanimous decision in December, giving the Mexican two super middleweight titles. The loss brought Smith’s unbeaten record to an end in a convincing win for his rival.
Smith told Sky Sports that while he had been in the gym for most of the year during the coronavirus pandemic, there are things he would have changed if he had the chance.
“Ideally I would have wanted full notice but I was in the gym most of the year. If I wasn’t doing anything I would have turned the fight down. I was in decent enough shape, I did the twelve rounds OK,” he said.
“Tactically I would have liked longer to adjust to Canelo but I could have had twelve rounds and there’s no certainty that the result would have been different.
“He is very clever in terms of the jab. He walks you down. With anybody else, you would jab. But he wants you to jab because he’s a counter-puncher.
“So you don’t throw as many jabs and while you are waiting, he closes the space down without throwing anything. Then he jabs and hits you. You think: ‘How did that land?’ He keeps you guessing all the time. You are hesitant.”
Smith went on: “His best asset was his presence and his defense. He was so hard to hit clean. When I was throwing he was riding them, making me miss. You aren’t landing so you stop fully committing to shots. He takes away what you are good at.
“I don’t think anyone beats him. He may only lose if he keeps going up in weight but he’s put a stop to that. His defense is just too good. He can obviously punch but his power wasn’t ridiculous.
“I remember Groves hit me and I thought: ‘I don’t want to take one of those on the chin.'”
Alvarez is scheduled to defend his titles against Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27.