Joe Smith Jr. knew Canelo Alvarez made a matchmaking mistake when he opted to fight Dmitry Bivol.

Smith understands as well as anyone in boxing just how difficult it is to beat Bivol. The smart, skillful Russian thoroughly out-boxed Smith in their 12-round fight for Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title three years ago and employs just the type of troublesome style Smith immediately realized Alvarez should’ve avoided.

Bivol became the first opponent in 8½ years to defeat the Mexican superstar May 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Alvarez entered the ring last month as more than a 5-1 favorite and was commonly considered boxing’s pound-for-pound king, but Bivol undoubtedly defeated him to ruin Alvarez’s attempt to become a two-time 175-pound champion.

“I believed Bivol was gonna win that fight because of his style,” Smith told BoxingScene.com. “You know, Canelo’s used to people being aggressive and coming after him. Canelo likes being aggressive and coming forward and slipping the punches of people when they’re being aggressive. And I just knew Bivol wasn’t gonna give him too many opportunities for him to counter him or do anything like that.”

Bivol beat Alvarez by the same score, 115-113, on all three cards, though their fight didn’t appear as close as the judges had it.

Before Alvarez agreed to box Bivol, Smith figured the Guadalajara native would’ve taken a shot at another unbeaten Russian, IBF/WBC champ Artur Beterbiev, or at the WBO title Smith owns. Montreal’s Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) and Smith (28-3, 22 KOs), of Mastic, New York, instead will square off in an intriguing 175-pound title unification fight Saturday night at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater (ESPN; 10 p.m. ET).

“I was surprised Canelo took that fight, and didn’t take Beterbiev or me,” Smith said. “I believe he stayed away from us because he was just coming up to light heavyweight. Who knows what would’ve happened if he faced one of us? But I was shocked when he chose to fight [Bivol].”

Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) is contractually obligated to give Alvarez a rematch. First, however, Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) will proceed with his third showdown versus rival Gennadiy Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) on September 17 at a venue to be determined.

If Smith beats Beterbiev, he wants his own second shot at Bivol. The 32-year-old Smith knows, though, how hard it’ll be to overcome the opponent he considers the best he has fought.

“I’ve never faced anyone who fights the way he does,” Smith said. “He’s just awkward. He’s very different to anyone I ever stepped in the ring with. He’s very smart. His in-and-out movement and his reflexes are great. And he does have some power.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.