Mexican pound for pound fighter Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez beat
previously undefeated Callum Smith by a unanimous decision in Texas on Saturday,
capturing two super middleweight titles at once, AFP reported.
Alvarez claimed the vacant WBC title as well as Smith’s WBA
version of the 168-pound belt, as he overcame a height difference after moving
up a weight class for the fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
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Post-fight, Alvarez’ figure stood at 54-1-2 with 36
knockouts, while Smith recorded the first defeat of his professional career,
staggering at 27-1 with 19 knockouts.
The fight further increased chances of a third showdown
between Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, who lost to the former in a controversial
majority decision in 2018 at Las Vegas.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed 315,000
lives in the US, organizers had allowed 12,000 people in the venue with a 32,000-seat
capacity.
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However, the break that probably led the decision in Alvarez’
favour was a right uppercut that almost dropped Smith in the ninth round. The
fight was largely one-sided as using the full capacity of his arsenal, Alvarez
decimated Smith who struggled to keep up in the contest with a busted-up face.
All three decisions went in favour of Alvarez, with two
scoring the contest 119-109 and the third 117-111.