NO EXCUSES, NO REGRETS
Callum Smith is ready for the biggest night of his life
IT was through his fingers that Callum smith last took a close look at Canelo alvarez. The sight of him beating up his older brother has stayed with him.
‘It wasn’t nice,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘I remember it quite clearly. I’m never good at watching one of my brothers. after the first knockdown that night, I mostly just wanted him to be OK.’
The youngest of that astonishing quartet of boxing brothers from Liverpool is remembering the hot night in 2016 when Liam smith went to Texas to make the third defence of his world light-middleweight title against alvarez. The memories hold some resonance because tomorrow, in the same state, and also in a third defence of a world crown, Callum smith will pursue revenge.
He goes in as the No 1-ranked super-middleweight in the world, but also as a 4-1 outsider, fighting one of the pound- for- pound greats of this era.
If he wins, a place among the stars awaits, but he is staking an awful lot. Both his 27-0 record and WBA title are on the line against this monstrously tough Mexican, who has won world belts in four divisions. There have been numerous conversations between Callum, 30, and Liam, 32, about the storm to come, and there has also been the benefit of advice about the feints and tells not picked up on tape.
But for understanding the raw force of alvarez, notably in those famous combinations and counter- shots, he saw enough when he watched ringside as Liam was dropped for the first time in his career on that night four years ago.
For good measure, alvarez put him down twice more to take his belt in the ninth round. It was Liam’s first defeat in 25 fights.
‘It was pretty emotional,’ smith says. ‘Me and my brothers are close. we have always done everything to help each other and I was powerless that night. The fight week was such an eye-opener. ‘ You see your brother on that stage and your blood is pumping. It’s your brother going in there with this huge name. I have always had my brothers on a pedestal, so even though we knew he was against a real star, he still always looked invincible to me. ‘I never spoke to Canelo that week. I just saw him at the weigh-in and I remember him getting in the ring on the night and I saw the size difference. That is what first got me. ‘He had gone back down to 154lb for that fight and there were question marks about how he would perform because he had looked slim. But the next day he was huge — he must have put a lot of weight on. Early on, Canelo looked decent but Liam was having success.
‘Then I remember that first knockdown, a head shot (in the seventh) and I am thinking, “Oh, he can hurt my brother”. From that moment, I couldn’t enjoy it.’
with blood pouring from his right eye, Liam was dropped by body shots in the eighth and ninth. ‘It wasn’t nice to see,’ he adds. ‘we knew Canelo was good — he was very good that night.’
The question is whether smith can go better. That has long been the theme in his family. His oldest brothers, Paul and stephen, fought for world titles and he and Liam have both held them.
‘we couldn’t have a game of snooker or pool without one of us wanting to put £20 on it — we compete on everything,’ he says.
Their collective tale has often been told, but the family legacy will grow considerably if smith upsets the best active fighter in the world. ‘I get my belief from being the No 1 super-middleweight in the world,’ he says.
‘we know exactly how good he is, but can he just keep moving through the weights? I am not a big lump with no fighting ability.’
Mystery surrounds the effects of the late notice of this fight, with smith having only four weeks to prepare. By comparison, anthony Joshua had 12 weeks to get ready for Kubrat Pulev.
But it is encouraging that smith accepted the fight despite knowing the offer would likely have come around again next year.
‘I’m making no excuses,’ he says. ‘I’m going there to win, give everything. I don’t want to retire thinking I could have done more.’
Alvarez-Smith will be screened on the DAZN app, available for £1.99 a month