By Geno McGahee
Canelo Alvarez, 54-1-2, 36 KO’s, is just a beast and he had no issues pushing the bigger man around the ring to capture the WBA Super Middleweight title via unanimous decision over the defending champion, Calum Smith, 27-1, 19 KO’s, by scores of 119-109 (twice) and 117-111.
From the opening bell, Alvarez used aggression while keeping a very tight defense. The only opportunities that Smith would have was to land in a counter exchange, but he wasn’t sure of himself enough to stand there and try to make it happen. It didn’t take long for this to become a survival game for Smith as he moved around the ring and took punishment as he got trapped on the ropes.
Smith has looked much better in previous fights, but he may have been intimidated. It didn’t help that he was in the ring with a far superior fighter with big power even at super middleweight. It’s remarkable to think about how many divisions Alvarez has trounced and has done it with dramatic punching power.
The next fight may be the end of the trilogy with GGG. Considering that they are realistically 1-1, despite the 1 win for Canelo and the draw in the first fight. GGG is older and his reflexes aren’t what they once were. The fight needs to happen soon and considering how Canelo clearly beat him in their last fight and how great Canelo is looking, I suspect that GGG’s last fight could be a knockout defeat this time. All greats are usually carried out of the ring when they stay in it too long.
