By: Hans Themistode
Fans of Canelo Alvarez had become sick and tired of watching their pound for pound star fighting his battles outside of the ring and inside the courtroom. Now, it appears things will go back to normal.
After a relatively short legal battle with former promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions along with streaming company DAZN, Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) has become a free agent and is reportedly facing off against WBC super middleweight titlist Callum Smith in mid December. No deal has been struck yet, but promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that talks are “ongoing.”
Also, according to Hearn, although Alvarez has recently broke free from his DAZN contract, should his contest against Smith take place, it would be shown on DAZN.
Alvarez, 30, is still in possession of the WBA Regular super middleweight title. A belt he claimed in late 2018 with a third round knockout victory over Rocky Fielding, making a potential showdown with Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) a unification contest.
For Smith, the lanky British product has also sat idly on the sidelines. In his last ring appearance, which took place in November of 2019, roughly the same date as Alvarez, Smith was seen struggling to win a unanimous decision against then mandatory challenger John Ryder. Regardless of his performance, Smith has called for a showdown with Alvarez for years now.
The former World Boxing Super Series winner was always viewed as a possible candidate. Yet, so was WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, IBF belt holder Caleb Plant and a long list of others.
Nothing is set in stone as of now, but Hearn believes something could be imminent. Should a deal be struck, the likely destination would be Texas. Late last month, former two division champion Gervonta Davis, hosted the first live boxing event with a crowd in attendance since COVID-19 closed the doors of various venues around the world. A crowd of just over 9,000 witnessed the 25 year old score a knockout of the year candidate against Leo Santa Cruz.
In Alvarez’s last trip to Texas, the former four division champion stopped Liam Smith, brother of Callum, in the ninth round of their contest.