Canelo Alvarez was seven inches shorter than Callum Smith on Saturday night. He had an eight-inch reach disadvantage. He hadn’t fought in over a year.
And he had absolutely no problem taking out his opponent.
The heavy favorite cashed with ease, beating Smith by unanimous decision thanks to a heavy dose of uppercuts and constant pressure. Alvarez just continued to move forward throughout the fight, not letting anything Smith threw stop him in his tracks.
Alvarez stated before the fight that he wants to unify all the titles at 168 and beating Smith was a big first step. However his next step could also be a highly anticipated trilogy fight with Gennadiy Golovkin who scored his own victory on Friday.
Boxers, celebrities and athletes took to social media to share their thoughts on Alvarez’s latest accomplishment.
Canelo has the highest boxing IQ since Mayweather 🇲🇽
— Carlos Correa (@TeamCJCorrea) December 20, 2020
No need to take anymore punishment. Canelo is just getting stronger as the fight goes. #CaneloSmith @DAZNBoxing
— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) December 20, 2020
Canelo looking really good ! Me and his style of fighting will be a mega fight Mark my words !!!
— Edgar Berlanga Jr (@EdgarBerlangaJr) December 20, 2020
Canelo stayed ahead for most of the fight & proved too strong for Smith, so Canelo is the man at this weight – head up @CallumSmith23 … took a lot of shots, but hanged tough & stayed in there 🥊 #CaneloSmith
— Audley Harrison MBE (@audleyharrison) December 20, 2020
.@Canelo‘s head movement is NEXT LEVEL 👀
(via @DAZNBoxing)
pic.twitter.com/PjU10E9DDD— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) December 20, 2020
Good big man beats a good little man, but a good big man getting his brakes beat off tonight by a great little man. #canelo
— Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) December 20, 2020
I know his fans won’t like this but at this stage of their careers GGG no longer competitive with Canelo. Not now. #CaneloSmith #Canelo
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) December 20, 2020
How Canelo is seeing everyone else’s punches after fighting Mayweather. 😂 #CaneloSmith @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/2guWzFvX5g
— Will Blackmon 🍷 (@WillBlackmon) December 20, 2020