Callum Smith: Canelo better at 160 pounds than it is at 168

By Gilbert Manzano

The Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has only two and more experiences in super middleweight, but Callum Smith has seen enough to produce a screening report.

Alvarez destroyed Rocky Fielding in three rounds during his debut in the middleweight category in December at Madison Square Garden in New York. Alvarez dropped Fielding four times with devastating punches to capture the WBA secondary title.

For many, it was a flawless performance, but Smith noticed a benefit he intends to use if he succeeds another game against Alvarez.

"(Alvarez is) a very good fighter, I just think he's a better average weight than a super middleweight," Smith told BoxingScene.com. "But I would certainly love to test myself against him."

The fight between Alvarez and Fielding was an imbalance, as expected, even though Fielding had the advantage of size. A fight with Smith would be a much more difficult task for Alvarez. Smith is considered one of the best fighters at 168 and has a six-inch height advantage over Alvarez.

Another advantage for Smith, who is 6-foot-3, he took just one lap to win Fielding in 2015. That would be a decisive match, but Smith does not expect to enter the ring with Alvarez so soon.

"I think (Alvarez) will stay at 160 for a while," Smith said. "I think he's got a lot of fights over there, but if he goes back to 168, I'd definitely read the hand for that fight."

Alvarez faces Daniel Jacobs on May 4 in Las Vegas during a fight for the unification of middleweights. If Alvarez prevails, all indications are that a possible trilogy with Gennady Golovkin is expected to take place in September.

But if Alvarez returns to super middleweight, Smith is probably on the front line. Their two promoters work with DAZN and each have a WBA belt. In December, Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez, the bosses of Golden Boy Promotions, raised the risk of a match against Alvarez-Smith at Wembley Stadium in London.

Smith is designated to fight on June 1 against an opponent who will be named later on the underlying Anthony Joshua-Jarrell Miller card.

The Smith family knows Alvarez. In 2016, Alvarez recorded a ninth-round knockout over Smith's older brother, Liam, at the AT & T stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Callum Smith will not wait for Alvarez. He attends unification fights in the super middleweight division.

"Caleb Plant is a good fighter, (David) Benavidez is a good fighter, Gilberto (Ramirez) is a good fighter and myself," Smith said. "I think if we could fight all four, it would be good for the division."