The Matchroom-promoted Smith hasn’t let go of how he views that night, even as the rest of the division has moved on from it. Fans saw what they saw. Smith was overmatched against Alvarez in their fight in 2020 and spent much of the contest with his back against the ropes.
Nothing since Canelo vs. Callum Smith has given anyone a reason to see it differently. The result was clear then, and it still reads the same now. Smith has remained active and picked up wins at 175, but he hasn’t produced a performance that forces a second look at what happened.
Canelo has lost a step in recent outings, even in fights he won. The performances against Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia looked lackluster, and his showing against Terence Crawford made the drop more visible. Despite the loss, Alvarez can still pick and choose, and there’s no reason for him to revisit an opponent he already handled without difficulty.
Smith has a more immediate problem in front of him against David Morrell Jr. on April 18 in Liverpool. That fight will say more about where he stands than anything tied to Canelo. If he loses, the conversation ends there. If he wins, he still has work to do before a rematch becomes anything more than talk.
The idea only holds up from one side. Canelo already gave him the answer six years ago, and nothing since has changed it. A more realistic rematch for Smith would be for him to focus on Artur Beterbiev, who knocked him out in seven rounds in 2024.
Beterbiev at least fights in the same weight class as Smith, and that would surely increase the likelihood of them fighting again. It’s interesting, though, that Callum isn’t banging on about wanting to revisit a second fight with Beterbiev. Now, why is that?
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