Comments Thread For: Joe Smith Prioritizes Beterbiev Or Bivol Unification Over Shot At Canelo: 'It's For My Legacy'

[Liondw]

Take the Canelo money fight, if it comes. Beterbiev will knock him out, and he'll get paid much less.

[-Kev-]

That would make sense if Canelo was like Amir Khan or Kell Brook moving up two weight classes. Instead Canelo campaigns 1 weight class below Smith Jr, is the #1 P4P fighter, fighter of the year for 2021, former title holder at 175, and possibly a first ballot HOFer.

What is most damning about this is that while Smith Jr’s comments may sound like he only wants big challenges, he’d likely be underdog vs the current Canelo Alvarez.

Lastly, when Canelo speaks like this, he never hears the end of it. For wanting to unify titles. What Smith is saying, there other fighters who would get and have gotten accused of ducking.

[nino brown21]

Joe's gotta a punchers chance but I don't see him beating bivol or beterbiev .

[TyrantT316]

Not sure why anyone is questioning Smith for wanting to unify? While Canelo is a big fight, Smith wants to be considered the best in his LHW division by unifying vs. making more money. Whether you say he doesn't want the risk vs Canelo or not, fighting Beterbiev and Bivol are also just as risky for him. I just think he sees the reward of being a unified or undisputed/best fighter of his weight class as being more worth it than the money.

Honestly, I don't think he should be knocked for going either route. Both routes enhance his legacy in a way. If he fights and beats Canelo, he knows it brings a lot for him. But could also work against him as people claim he beat the "smaller" Canelo who bit off more than he could chew. People would say he needs to fight the other champions in his weight class and stop avoiding them for "the money". If he fights and beats them, many will say he's avoiding Canelo.

Either route he chooses would be a step towards enhancing his legacy. One offers more money and name cache. The other is more a boxing purist and respectable route of unifying your division.

With all of that said, I believe he loses to all of them

[AKAcronym]

Joe's gotta a punchers chance but I don't see him beating bivol or beterbiev .

That's because he didn't. Pretty much got shutout too.

[icha]

i respect that, if can unify, im sure he will get to the top at canelos lisr anyways...

[Kannabis Kid]

That's because he didn't. Pretty much got shutout too.

He did manage to hurt Bivol a few times though if he lands clean he can hurt anyone at 175.

[TernceBudCharlo]

I don't understand you Canelo fans at all. You always ridicule Andrade and Charlo and Benavidez and say "how dare they ask for a canelo fight! They all must fight each other first!"

Now here's Smith doing just that and you still give him ****? Do you have no principles at all?

[turnedup]

I don't understand you Canelo fans at all. You always ridicule Andrade and Charlo and Benavidez and say "how dare they ask for a canelo fight! They all must fight each other first!"

Now here's Smith doing just that and you still give him ****? Do you have no principles at all?

What applies to others doesn’t apply to him. Didn’t you know? I hate superstar boxers because they breed exactly this kind of fan. Dudes who will trash every other fighter until their guy beats them and then they were “a great challenge” suddenly.

[AKAcronym]

He did manage to hurt Bivol a few times though if he lands clean he can hurt anyone at 175.

He can definitely punch but the way the guy commented made it seem like he wasn't even aware they had already fought.