Have you never seen Liam Smith fight?

Smith is a decent fighter but he can't be ranked any higher until we see him against someone of quality. His best opposition so far is way below Canelo level. He has dealt with everyone easily so far and so he no doubts feels he can mix it with the best - I don't see it but it'll be worth a watch. He is improving as a good all rounder but he badly needs some serious tests. This fight is too early for him ie he shouldn't have a world champ tag and has been well managed into that belt.

He's a very tough fighter and he has pretty decent boxing skills. The biggest knock on him is he hasn't faced anyone relevant, but watching any of his fights you'll see he's no pushover. That's the main reason for criticism of the fight, but if he had a few notable names under his belt the fight wouldn't be viewed as bad. Yes he has skills and goes hard to the body. I would call him a "sleeper" and Canelo shouldn't take him lightly.

I saw him KO John Thompson. No special effects.

He comes from a fighting family in Liverpool, nothing special and out of the 4 brothers he would probably rank 3rd. He is decent but he isn't going to beat Canelo.

Saw him fight live on the Lee - BJS undercard last Decenber - his opponent was an overmatched local kid, but he did what he hadda. Beefy's a tough capable scouse kid, but I'm not at all sure he's ready for world level. I expect him to give a decent showing as far as it goes, but slim odds of stopping Nelo and close to zero of winning on the cards.

Cause I haven't....who is this guy? Is it even worth it to watch a fight of his before the Canelo fight or is it a waste of time? Curious how many people have never seen this guy fight.... Yeah, Ive seen him fight quite a few times. He is a good fighter, strong, well schooled but mechanical at times and very simple to figure out. His size could be a factor against Canelo. I'm not sure which fight I'd recommend, maybe watch his title winning effort over Thompson?

He's a decent fighter who isn't busy enough to beat Canelo by decision. The fight against John Thompson is illustrative. Thompson threw a lot more and was winning rounds due to his business yet really wasn't landing anything significant. He got points for that alone, but Smith landed better punches, snapped Thompson's head back a few times a round. He was losing on the cards somehow because he wasn't throwing a lot, but he was landing and catching Thompson's so called shots on his gloves and shoulders for the most part. He has better defense than he's given credit for, moves his head a lot, gives different looks, a lot of movement from the waist, takes tiny steps and has good balance. I suspect if he doesn't knock out Canelo it will be a wide decision via the mysterious Canelo judging that had him ahead of Khan before the KO, forced Trout to go for the KO via the open scoring which opened him up for the knockdown, and somehow had Canelo beating Lara although he had at best a draw. If Floyd came out of retirement today with no training he'd beat Canelo easily, Canelo's career has been protected not just by matchmaking but also suspect judging and refereeing.

He doesn't do anything brilliant. He's just a pretty solid all round fighter, not that fast though. I actually think he will give Canelo a decent fight but fall a bit short. Although that's not because i think Smith is that good, i just don't believe Canelo is an elite fighter. They can push it that he is elite and the "face of boxing" all they want, i still don't believe he's actually anything special as a fighter. He's very good though of course. His status outweighs his talent. All you can really say about Smith is that he's beaten those put in front of him so far. He's definitely well above domestic and probably above EBU championship level. This is his opportunity to show if he's world class or not. Nobody really knows yet.

He's a good fighter. Not a bad fight for Canelo at all if you ignore the fact a much better fight with GGG was right on the table and Canelo and his team decided to just walk away from it to face "Smith"

He is made to order for Canelo's style. He does not have any size advantage, his legs are slow and he sits in front of you with pressure. He does have subtle skills but his power is moderated

He's a very tough fighter and he has pretty decent boxing skills. The biggest knock on him is he hasn't faced anyone relevant, but watching any of his fights you'll see he's no pushover. That's the main reason for criticism of the fight, but if he had a few notable names under his belt the fight wouldn't be viewed as bad.

Never seen anything outside of highlights. I would love to know some relevant fights of his that I should check out to really get an idea of what he has against a quality fighter. Welcoming suggestions.