Liam Smith (c) vs. Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - September 17th 2016

[Rockys gum shield]

Can anyone remember how Liam Smith treated Jimmy Kelly Jnr, Kalma is a bitch.

I wonder if Saul will treat him in the same manner.

I do wonder if Liam will be doing his smiling, bully routine during this fight.

Apparently, Kelly hadnt done enough to be in the ring with him!

Well I'm sorry but Liam hasn't done enough to fight top billing in Vegas, he's defended his title against two really weak opponents and proved nothing on the world stage yet.

Saul's at super level, he's beyond world titles now, they type of fighter who's actually a prize to just get in the ring with. Hopefully this is making Liam a millionaire, it's costing him his unbeaten record.

[Rockys gum shield]

Can anyone remember how Liam Smith treated Jimmy Kelly Jnr, Kalma is a bitch.

I wonder if Saul will treat him in the same manner.

I do wonder if Liam will be doing his smiling, bully routine during this fight.

Apparently, Kelly hadnt done enough to be in the ring with him!

Well I'm sorry but Liam hasn't done enough to fight top billing in Vegas, he's defended his title against two really weak opponents and proved nothing on the world stage yet.

Saul's at super level, he's beyond world titles now, they type of fighter who's actually a prize to just get in the ring with. Hopefully this is making Liam a millionaire, it's costing him his unbeaten record.

[chad]

Well this is the fight Smith has been chasing and allegedly has delivered. Don't give Smith much of a chance however he's got a good chin and if Canelo underestimates him this could go the distance. Not saying Smith will win on points but if he hangs in there for 12, picks up a few rounds and gives it a go it'll give him more recognition in the States and will open up more opportunities for him. Canelo is pretty much at the top of the lb for lb rankings, no shame in giving it your best and falling short. Got to be better than facing guys ranked on the outskirts of the WBO rankings in half packed arenas?

[Supremo]

Fair play to all concerned.

Fair play to all? Not a chance. Canelo should be fighting GGG and nobody else.

[jameswilson]

Fair play to all concerned.

Fair play to all? Not a chance. Canelo should be fighting GGG and nobody else.

Yeah I didn't make that at all clear. Fair play to all concerned in Smithh's team.

[littlepug]

Interesting fight from a brit perspective but Liams in deep waters here and I fear a brave but bad beatdown for him, bigger profile and purse will make him feel better and he will have the experience of fighting at the highest level which is priceless

[TheLeprechaun]

Smith fights one way and he's going up against one of the pound for pound punchers in the game here to head and body.

It's not going to be hard to find Smith with power shots to the chin and body.

Canelo starches him when he finds his range for me.

[DannyMCR]

I can't really seen Smith nicking a points win and a knockout is very unlikely but hats off to him, will do him no harm losing to the sports current biggest name

[broomy7s]

Big payday, exposure in america and can come back from a defeat. It's a no brainer him taking this fight. I give Smith a small chance although For me he just hasn't fought tough enough opponents yet and that will show come fight night.

[Counter-puncher]

Anyone else have Smith as a live underdog in this?

Based on what?

Is he going to stop the bigger, durable Canelo? Is he going to beat him up enough to win a decision in Texas against someone who continually benefits from poor scoring?

Canelo ain't that difficult to hit and doesn't respond well to feints. If Liam feints and gets his foot placement right, he could bust Canelo up.

You're a loon.

September will give you a lesson in levels.

[samwbr]

Who is Liams highest ranked opponent? Thompson?

Eddie Hearn gets stick for sending certain fighters to the US as cannon fodder, this feels exactly the same. Hope Liam can do something amazing but it's a massive jump for him.

[bripez]

Who is Liams highest ranked opponent? Thompson?

Eddie Hearn gets stick for sending certain fighters to the US as cannon fodder, this feels exactly the same. Hope Liam can do something amazing but it's a massive jump for him.

I agree.

After the talk of Smith moving to camp Eddie, it could be that Frank is cashing in his chips?

[Taansend]

which is what I expected given that Smith is pretty much a no-name in the US.

What a load of old bollocks. There are 2,500,000 people named Smith in the US.

No name, my arse. I'm OUTRAGED

[BigDoofus]

Who is Liams highest ranked opponent? Thompson?

Eddie Hearn gets stick for sending certain fighters to the US as cannon fodder, this feels exactly the same. Hope Liam can do something amazing but it's a massive jump for him.

His opponent with the highest ranking currently on boxrec is Jimmy Kelly (world no.83).

[tobyh5]

What is with all the "fair play to Liam Smith and his team for taking this fight" bullshite?

When you are as far out of your depth as Liam is when it comes to being world class in the division - Surely all of the top boys would beat him - Lara, Charlo twins, Trout and Andrade, and I would not be surprised if any half decent challenger would deprive him of his title - then you are going to be losing your title pretty soon regardless. So do you lose it for £100k at a leisure centre in Liverpool or for some serious dollar to Canelo?

No brainer. When all is said and done, in 20 years time, the money is what will matter so it would be stupid to not take the mega money for a bit of a hiding, especially when a hiding is coming against someone soon anyway.

He is selling the title for big money in a smart move rather than just simply losing it for chump change

[PredatorHayds]

I give Smith a chance in this fight.

You've got to wonder how physically Canelo will be getting down to 154 again. He should be a MW but is putting his body through hell just to avoid GGG.

Really hope Smith gets through the first few rounds and we see him marching forward with a smile on his face (he's done this in every fight I've seen him in amateur or Pro).

I predict Canelo to win by KO but wouldn't be surprised to see him win a decision with Smith having good moments along the way.
He's a good body puncher and the tactic would be to target the weight drained Canelos mid section.

[stevedoc]

good fight for smith nothing to lose and a good payday ,i don't why people are asking if canelo can make the weight he's been fighting at 1 pound over not the full middle weight limit i don't see it making any difference at all .

[expe]

Who is Liams highest ranked opponent? Thompson?

Eddie Hearn gets stick for sending certain fighters to the US as cannon fodder, this feels exactly the same. Hope Liam can do something amazing but it's a massive jump for him.

The difference between this and Hearn sending fighters over is that there'll be an extra 0 on the cheque Smith cashes after the fight.

[reggaereggae]

Liam Smith has a good chance. IF Canelo spends more time sniffing Coke and getting his drink on, instead of sparring. And Dressing up in Oscar's hand me down women's underwear and shagging (or being shagged) by transsexual hookers all night instead of running. And sustaining an ankle injury in some bizarre sex game. And having to lose 24 lbs in 3 days by staying in the sauna and not ingesting anything other than a transsexual hooker's semen.

And then, maybe then, Smith has a fair chance. Well it would be a 50:50 definitely.

[ElJefe]

Surely all of the top boys would beat him - Lara, Charlo twins, Trout and Andrade, and I would not be surprised if any half decent challenger would deprive him of his title - then you are going to be losing your title pretty soon regardless.

I don't think that's a sure thing at all. I think Smith would have at least a good chance against all of them. Lara got put on his arse twice by Angulo, he's not the untouchable boxer people think. The Charlo twins are hardly world beaters. Trout is probably past his prime now. Admittedly Andrade has looked good, but Smith has a great chance against the others imo.

As for Canelo, Golden Boy aren't stupid. They know who Canelo will struggle with and who he'll look good against. There's a reason Oscar didn't want him to fight Lara and there's a reason they lined up Angulo and Kirkland. Canelo looks best when people walk towards him, means he doesn't have to use his feet to cut off the ring and gives him chances to open his opponents up with combinations, which he's probably one of the best at atm. Smith will definitely walk towards him, I think Smith is a very good fighter but stylistically well-suited for Alvarez.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Reckless move by FW and I agree with the guy who said he may be cashing in his chips. This is a dangerous fight for a young fighter like Smith who has no experience of fighting at world level. He could take a career ruining tw4tting in only his 25th fight. I appreciate that he'll be earning big bucks but he's got years in front of him to develop and build towards fights like this while still earning decent money as a fringe world level operator so why take the plunge now.

Winning an irrelevant alphabet title can prove to be a double edged sword. It may boost your ego and improve your bargaining position but it can also see you backed into a corner as the recipient of an offer you (or your promoter) cannot refuse.

[Andrew]

I hate Canelo with a passion after the fiasco with GGG so much I want Liam Smith to win.

I just can't give Liam a chance like other posters are saying he will have to bust up Canelo really bad to get a decision in America.

[MightyWarrior]

Love this fight, great to see a British top prospect going in with one of the big guns.

And Big balls to take this fight, because as an unknown over there I seriously doubt he's getting paid too much, so could have easily defended 3 or 4 times against palookas over here & make more, like Ricky Hatton did for years,for example.

And let's be honest, we don't really know how good he is ...he could have a great chin ( i'm assuming that... haven't seen him hurt? ) massive heart and his punch seems decent - Plus he is a nasty SOB - smiling as he is administering another beating...he's got that requisit nasty streak and it's going to be fun to see how he fares when the other guy's firing back with interest .

But Canelo is something else,and will very probably pulverise Liam ...but I get the feeling this is one of those fights with a bit of uncertainty, because we don't really know how good Smith is - a massively confident undefeated fighter who will be coming to win... at least we know that much.

This is going to be fireworks while it lasts.

[Kilburn]

Ditto MW. What better time to step up than when you're on a run of stoppages like this.

A win seems unlikely of course, but Smith surely brings more to the argument than the likes of Rhodes and Hatton previously. I think Smith has enough about him to make this tactically interesting.

[davie]

I thought Canelo was going to take time to settle into the middleweight division in preparation for his 2023 fight with Genady Golovkin?