By: Sean Crose
“My next fight will be at the @Alamodome in SATX, this upcoming Dec 19th vs @CallumSmith23 Ticket sale Wed 25th.”
So claimed the one and only Canelo Alvarez on social media Friday, answering the question as to where his super middleweight title fight with the talented and undefeated Callum Smith would go down. It will be the first time Canelo has fought at Texas’ Alamodome since he bested Austin Trout way back in 2013, before his fight with Floyd Mayweather skyrocketed him into the public’s consciousness. As for Smith, it will only be the Englishman’s third fight in the US, though he will now be fighting in America for the second time in three bouts.
By noting that tickets will be on sale this coming Wednesday, Canelo has made it clear fans will be able to view the event live and in person. Of course the Alamodome won’t be filled to capacity due to Covid restrictions, but the ability to a view major fight in person is always a plus for fans. This is the second major boxing event the Alamodome will have hosted in the past few months. The arena was also home to last month’s Gervonta Davis – Leo Santa Cruz pay per view battle (a limited live audience was in attendance then, as well).
Canelo hasn’t fought since November of last year when he stopped dangerous light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev in eleventh round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He’s been in the news since that time, though. The Covid pandemic, fights that failed to materialize, and a contractual battle with promoter Golden Boy Promotions and the DAZN streaming service have kept the star in the spotlight Ironically enough, the fight with Smith will be aired live on DAZN, the same DAZN Canelo recently broke with.
As for Smith, the tall, skilled Englishman with the 27-0 record, he’ll be fighting for the first time since November of last year, as well. His last fight was a UD win over John Ryder in Liverpool. The often overlooked supermiddleweight division has now become one of the hottest realms in the sport of boxing. Not only are the 53-1-2 Canelo and Smith belt holders, Caleb Plant and David Benavidez, two undefeated individuals on the rise, hold major titles in the division, as well.
The Canelo-Smith fight will be aired live on DAZN from the Alamodome on December 19th.