Think about this, Smith is significantly bigger than Dmitry Bivol, but I would favor Bivol to not just beat him, but win every single round, and probably stop him. So how does that Smith a top guy if he would lose every single round to someone much smaller than him?
What even top 10, let alone top fighter, what even top 10 super middleweight has Smith beaten on world level not just UK domestic level? And Groves was injured to boot. But before that, Smith almost lost to a kickboxer, maybe got a gift decision. That makes Callum Smith the Liam Smith of the 168 division. Liam Smith would also fight close fights with kickboxers, be competitive but not separate himself, just like Callum. What's the difference?
Callum Smith fought N'Dam, a 160 pound fighter who has been 1-shot-KO'd by middleweights we've never heard of, Smith brought him up to 168 pounds, still could not put his lights out. He knocked him down repeatedly, like Peter Quillin, but seemed to hurt N'Dam, whose chin is much WORSE now than when Quillin fight him, less than Quillin did.
Callum Smith, at 168, seems to have less power than Peter Quillin at 160. Quillin who lost to Jacobs in 1 round at 160. But people are excited to see Canelo fight Smith? Is that a joke?
"But Smith is Ring Champion at 168!"
Yeah and who owns Ring Magazine? Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which promoters Canelo. Who, before Canelo-Jacobs, was seen giddy in a youtube interview about wanting Canelo to fight Smith even over Daniel Jacobs? Eric Gomez, matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions.
Do the math. They use the media to propagandize and fool the fans, to hype up the cherry pick and make it look like some amazing fight, and then they cash in to make the fight and get the most money and credit for the fight, while meanwhile, it's a risk-free, easy money, easy fight.
As long as fans keep falling for this BS, the sport will continue to give fans nothing but BS matchups like this. Stop thinking the boxing media exists to inform you, the fan. It does not. It exists to control and manage your thoughts and expectations, to steer you in the direction that is beneficial for the promoters and the cash cows, not you the fan, the sport at large, or the other 90% of boxers in the sport. NEVER FORGET IT. Even the ones you like, I mean, would you trust what they said if you didn't like them? They have incentive to toe the line and fool you into liking them, but look deeper, over time, at how they really operate, and you will start to see patterns. So even the ones you like, they're not really on your side, in fact they're on the opposite side.
A few more reasons why this fight is IMO BS: When Smith said he would like to avenge his amateur loss to Bivol, and Bivol responded, Smith went silent, just for example. Team Smith knows what's up. He even turned down 50-50 vs Saunders, another overrated fighter who made his name off decisioning past prime weight drained Lemieux and past prime Willie Monroe Jr, two guys prime GGG stopped. Team Smith knows what's up. There are at least 5 fighters, maybe close to 10, his size or smaller, from 160 to 175, who are better than Smith and would beat him. Bivol, Gvozdyk, Beterbiev, Kovalev, David Benavidez, possibly Caleb Plant, possibly Zurdo, possibly old GGG. That's 8 already. Even Daniel Jacobs or Jermall Charlo at 168 might beat him. That's *****ing 10!
So I implore my fellow boxing fans, do not fall for another **** matchup. We only get to see Canelo in the ring 2-3 times per year, and only for another few years before he probably retires because "boxers past the age of 35 deteriorate," to paraphrase Canelo himself. Do you really want to see another matchup wasted on someone who stands no chance?
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