Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas – For the WBC, WBA super middleweight titles, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) battered previously unbeaten Callum Smith (27-1, 19 KOs) to win a wide twelve round unanimous decision.SAN ANTONIO – Canelo Alvarez’s critics cannot question his status as a four-division champion anymore.
The Mexician superstar battered and bloodied previously unbeaten Brit Callum Smith on his way to a dominant 12-round win in the main event of a seven-bout card Saturday night at Alamodome. The 30-year-old Alvarez won decisively on the scorecards of judges Steve Morrow (117-111), Rafael Ramos (119-109) and Steve Weisfeld (119-109), left the ring with two super middleweight world titles and strengthened his argument for recognition as the best boxer in the sport, pound-for-pound.
Mexico’s Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) took the WBA “super” 168-pound championship from England’s Smith (27-1, 19 KOs) and won the vacant WBC super middleweight title.
The shorter, stouter Alvarez basically beat up the 6-feet-3 Smith, who couldn’t use his seven-inch height advantage and 7½-inch edge in reach to prevent Alvarez from getting inside and landing power punches to his head and body. The tough Smith tried at times, but he had to remain cautious because of Alvarez’s superior power and never seemed to affect Alvarez with any of the shots he landed.
Alvarez legitimized himself as a four-division champion by beating Smith. The Guadalajara native won the WBA world super middleweight crown by stopping England’s Rocky Fielding in the third round two years ago at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Smith already owned the WBA’s true 168-pound championship at that time. Smith had stopped Fielding (28-2, 16 KOs) in the first round three years earlier at Echo Arena in Liverpool as well.
Alvarez also left the ring with the WBC super middleweight title that was stripped from David Benavidez four months ago after he missed weight for an optional title defense against Alexis Angulo. In accordance with the WBC sanctioning this title fight, Alvarez now must make a mandated defense against Turkey’s Avni Yildirim within 90 days or risk being stripped.
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Alvarez has won world titles in the junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He fought Saturday night for the first time since he knocked out Russia’s Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round to win the WBO light heavyweight title 13½ months ago at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Smith also ended a one-year layoff. He hadn’t fought since struggling to win a 12-round, unanimous-decision win against England’s John Ryder last November 23 in Liverpool.
Smith became the second member of his family to lose to Alvarez. His older brother, Liam Smith, lost by ninth-round knockout to Alvarez in their WBO junior middleweight title fight in September 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Smith continued taking flush punches from Alvarez during the 12th round. The former champion looked up at the clock several times in the final round to see how much more time he had left to fend off the ever-aggressive Alvarez.
A right uppercut by Alvarez caught Smith early in the 11th round. He continued pressuring Smith during that round and out-landed
Smith held Alvarez early in the 10th round, as Alvarez hammered away at his head and body. Smith cracked Alvarez with a right hand with about 1:10 to go in the 10th round, but Alvarez wasn’t fazed.
He just kept coming forward and unloaded knockout shots on Smith.
Alvarez caught Smith with a hard right hand early in the ninth round, but Smith took it well. Alvarez nailed Smith with another right hand just after the midway mark of the ninth, as Smith backed toward the ropes.
Smith showed toughness throughout that ninth round, when he bled from his nose and mouth and took numerous punishing punches form Alvarez.
Alvarez’s straight right got through Smith’s high guard in the opening minute of the eighth round. Smith landed a solid right with about 1:15 left in the eighth.
Alvarez’s vicious right uppercut snapped back Smith’s head with 50 seconds to go in the eighth round.
Alvarez landed a right uppercut about 1:05 into the seventh round. Alvarez also connected with two flush left hooks later in the seventh that kept Smith on his back foot.
Smith fired a right hand that just missed at the halfway point of the sixth round. Smith landed a left hook up top several seconds later.
Alvarez connected with right hand as Smith moved to the ropes and attempted to cover up later in the sixth.
Smith was more active in the fifth round, when his straight right-left hook combination caught Alvarez with just over 30 seconds to go in it. Alvarez still stalked him throughout those three minutes, as Smith remained wary of Alvarez’s power.
Alvarez stunned Smith with a right hand about 30 seconds into the fourth round. Smith retreated and didn’t allow Alvarez to follow up on that shot.
Smith let his hands go after absorbing another right from Alvarez with just under a minute remaining in the fourth round. None of those shots seemed to affect Alvarez, though.
Smith took Alvarez’s flush left hook well barely a minute into the third round. Alvarez’s straight right penetrated Smith’s guard with just over a minute to go in the third.
Smith kept throwing to Alvarez’s body in the third round, but Alvarez caught him with a thudding left to the body just before that third round ended.
Alvarez landed a left hook to Smith’s head with just over a minute remaining in the second round, but Smith’s right glove partially blocked it. Alvarez again out-jabbed the taller, rangier Smith in that second round.
Alvarez landed a hard jab toward the end of a first round both boxers spent feeling each other out.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
