Canelo vs Callum Smith on Dec 19th

[Master]

Callum Smith has told talkSPORT.com he’s pleased he will be free to weigh whatever he wants when he steps into the ring with Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night in Texas.

Canelo has previously been reported to have rehydration clauses in his fight contracts, meaning opponents must fulfil a second weigh-in on fight day.

For example, when Canelo boxed Daniel Jacobs back in May 2019, the weigh-in took place at the middleweight limit of 160lbs.

However, the following day both men also had to weigh under 170lbs.

Jacobs ended up coming in at 173lbs on fight day and paid a reported $1million penalty as a result.

Regarding the fact his fight with the Mexican will not take place under such circumstance, Smith told talkSPORT.com: “Obviously I’m pleased.

“You make weight, you’re allowed to rehydrate to whatever you want to.

“Listen, I don’t go as heavy as people believe to be honest with you.

“You look at the size of me, probably think I get in the ring about 14 stone (196lbs), I don’t!

“But it’s nice to just not have to watch it.”

In his last fight, Canelo jumped up to light-heavyweight (175lbs) and knocked out Sergey Kovalev to claim the WBO world title.

Smith believes that this may have influenced his decision not to request a rehydration clause for their fight, which is taking place back down at super-middleweight (168lbs).

“I think, you know, it’s just to try and get a slight advantage,” Smith continued.

“But he’s boxed heavier than me, he’s boxed at 175lbs and won a world title at 175lbs.

“So I don’t feel a reason why he’d have to restrict me putting too much weight on when he technically he’s boxed at the higher weight than me.

“Yeah, obviously it was nice not to get it put on the line, but regardless the fight’s still a fight on the night.

“I’ve still gotta get in at my optimum weight, what I feel best at anyway and just perform to the best I can.

“And I believe ‘the best I can’ beats him.”

If his prediction comes true, one contractual clause that Smith will have to deal with is the rematch clause.

The champion would owe his defeated foe another fight, but has made it clear where he’d want it to take place.

The avid Liverpool supporter said of his dream rematch at Anfield: “Yeah, that’d be huge, that’d be massive.

“Anfield is obviously something that’s another dream I’d love to do. Vegas is another one, so I think either of them would be great.

“But I think Anfield more so, I don’t think it’s been done, not in my generation anyway.

“It would be that little bit more special. Fighting anyone at Anfield is definitely a goal and definitely something that does motivate me.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/8...clause-canelo/

[Spicoli]

Probably one of the emptiest undercards to a mega fight I can remember, weird . This is straight DAZN no ppv etc? Literally all 6 round fighters and a 17-15 opponent in co main. Guess this means main event will start at Midnight

[TitoFan]

Mmmm... scrumptious. Makes me want to rush and subscribe to DAZN even more.

Although if I had a crystal ball and knew that Callum was going to starch Clenelo... I'd make the sacrifice for sure.

[Master]

Callum Smith prepares for fight of his life against Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez is more than a fighter, he’s an industry. And, for all the restrictions of the pandemic and boxing politics, business is still good – as Callum Smith has recently discovered.

Late on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas (early Sunday morning GMT), they will argue over the unbeaten Liverpudlian’s WBA “super” super-middleweight title as the incomparable Mexican reaches for a world championship to go with his several belts at light-middle, middleweight and light-heavyweight gathered over nearly a decade in a 56-fight career that began as a teenager 15 years ago.

For all the credentials of other excellent contemporaries such as Terence Crawford, Nayoya Inoue, Errol Spence Jr and Oleksandr Usyk, the red-headed 30-year-old phenomenon from Guadalajara bears favourable comparison with Julio César Chávez, who terrorised the best in his business over three weights in the last two decades of the 20th century.

Smith, also 30, brings his own spotless CV to Texas at short notice, and, although he is acknowledged as pre-eminent at 12 stone, he is talking like a fighter privileged to be sharing a little piece of hell with a boxing nightmare. Neither has fought for over a year; they are about to make up for lost time and revenue.

In this millennium, only Floyd Mayweather Jr (to whom he lost in 2013) has had greater commercial clout than Álvarez, who chose Smith – not the other way around – giving the champion a mere month to prepare and travel to his turf. A purse of $40m when the fight was first mooted before lockdowns gripped the world has probably shrunk to a quarter of that, with Álvarez likely to pocket the bigger slice.

In the Alamodome, a stadium just over a mile from the battle where Davy Crockett simultaneously perished at the hands of Mexico’s General Santa Anna and was confirmed as an American wild west hero, Smith knows he is in for the fight of his life. He has to put aside the brief preparation he has been allowed, and said: “There’s plenty of different ways to get in shape. It hasn’t been ideal, but you make do with what you’ve got, and I’m in very good shape.”

There won’t be more than a scattering of citizens inside a biosecure stadium that holds up to 64,000 fans, but the tension and sense of occasion will be considerable, nonetheless.

In normal circumstances, Smith would be preparing for Christmas back in Liverpool inside an altogether more welcoming bubble of his three boxing brothers and their close family. He might have contemplated a mid-winter round of golf at Wallasey, where he has performed enthusiastically. Álvarez is a keen golfer, too, but their skills are now trained on a more dangerous pursuit.

When they faced off for the first time at the venue this week, Smith towered over Álvarez by fully half a foot at 6ft 3in, and he invests his rangy frame with power that has proved too much for 19 of his 27 opponents, including George Groves to secure his title two years ago.

None of his experiences will match this one, though. It was not of his making, but he is happy with that. As Álvarez said: “We chose Callum Smith because he’s ranked No 1 in the 168lb division. And, in the end, that’s what I want. I have a strong mindset. I know how to handle all of this.” He certainly does.

In 2018, DAZN signed Álvarez to a 12-fight contract worth $365m – nearly $180m more than it cost to build the venue in which they are fighting. This year, though, it turned ugly. DAZN, Eddie Hearn’s streaming partner, wanted their star to take a pay cut because of the coronavirus, he argued with his long-time promoters at Golden Boy and they went their separate ways. However, after some hard talking, DAZN got back in the Álvarez business, alongside Matchroom, Hearn and Smith.

As far as any respected historian can determine, Álvarez is the first boxer to fight brothers in world title fights at different weights, having cut up and stopped Callum’s brother, Liam, in nine rounds at light-middle in 2016. The Mexican earlier repulsed worthy British challenges by Matthew Hatton, Ryan Rhodes and Amir Khan.

There can be no doubting Smith’s determination or ability to stop the rot, although he is a 4-1 underdog. For maybe half an hour in San Antonio, he gets his own Battle of the Alamo, and a rear guard Liverpool victory would be the biggest upset of recent times; if Smith finishes upright, he will have given Álvarez a serious fright, and that alone would be a memorable achievement.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/cal...150831666.html

[imp]

What is the Uk start time?

4am?

Watching it on the DAZN app.

[Master]

What is the Uk start time?

4am?

Watching it on the DAZN app.

That is the time BBC radio 5 live will start their commentary so around then.

[palmerq]

Smith is 4/1 to win, that's pretty good odds l, Smith has done well in the past and he's a lot taller. Its possible alvarezs team have seen smith's performance v a guy who is a similar height to alvarez (ryder) and how he had a bit of a struggle there, the thing is alvarez isn't that great at hunting people down and is not so good at cutting the ring off either, could be a miscalculation by them... I'm betting ten Canadian quids on Smith at 4/1.