Callum Smith’s lopsided points defeat to Canelo Alvarez in December 2020 remains the lone loss of the former WBA super middleweight champion’s career.

Mexico’s Alvarez – a four-division champion and perhaps boxing’s best, pound-for-pound, at that time – won 11 of 12 rounds on two scorecards three years ago at Alamodome in San Antonio. Liverpool’s Smith lost by scores of 119-109 (Rafael Ramos), 119-109 (Steve Weisfeld) and 117-111 (Steve Morrow).

While confident he’ll win, Smith still thinks a more daunting assignment awaits him Saturday night at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The 33-year-old Smith realizes his light heavyweight title fight against Artur Beterbiev probably won’t go the distance, but the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev’s WBC belt also views Beterbiev as a better boxer than most people seem to think.

“I think if you watch both of our fights, especially me at 175 and obviously all of his, we’re two big punchers,” Smith told BoxingScene.com. “I think the fight will be exciting from a neutral point of view. I think the chances are it’s gonna end inside the distance. And like I’ve said, I believe in me own chances. I fully believe I’m good enough and capable to take him out. But obviously, he’ll have a game plan, I’ll have a game plan and whoever gets it right usually comes out on top.

“But I just think when you’ve got two very big punchers it’s hard to see it going the 12-round distance. But you never know. There’s fights with two big punchers that go the full 12, so I’ve prepared for the tough 12 rounds, the toughest 12 rounds of me career. I believe it’s the toughest fight of me career on paper, but as I say, I believe in me own power and me own boxing abilities to get the win however means possible.”

Smith feels fresher and better prepared entering this potentially legacy-changing fight than he did before he challenged Alvarez in their fight for Smith’s WBA super middleweight title and the then-vacant WBC belt. That’s because Smith accepted the Alvarez fight – and a career-high payday – on barely one month’s notice during the crux of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was tough,” Smith recalled. “I don’t wanna sit here and use it as an excuse because no, it’s not. Canelo was the better man on the night and he done his job. But I think it was only once I moved up that I realized how much I did need the move up to 175.”

The 6-foot-3 Smith has knocked out both of his opponents since he moved up from the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds to the light heavyweight limit. He also changed trainers, from Joe Gallagher to James “Buddy” McGirt, whom Smith credited for refining his skills.

Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) will end a 16-month layoff when he battles Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) in part because their fight was postponed almost five months – from August 19 until Saturday night – because Beterbiev, who also owns the IBF and WBO belts, suffered an infection in his jaw over the summer. That caused Smith to essentially train twice for this bout, which was delayed late in July, yet he feels much more confident in his preparation than he did when he faced Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs).

“Obviously, when I took the Canelo fight I believed I would beat him,” Smith said. “Only when I got in there did I realize me days at 168 were numbered and it was starting to affect me performances. To beat Canelo, I needed to be at me best and I wasn’t that night. I was far from it. But I feel now in my two fights at 175 I performed good, and I just feel physically I’m a lot better now than I was then. And mentally, I’m a lot better going into this fight than I was then.”

Beterbiev-Smith will headline a two-bout broadcast that is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Cameroon’s Christian Mbilli (25-0, 21 KOs), a super middleweight contender who resides and trains in Montreal, will square off against Australia’s Rohan Murdock (27-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round opener of the telecast.

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