Liam Smith believes Saul Alvarez’s team attempted to embarrass his brother.
The former WBO super-welterweight world champion was stopped by ‘Canelo’ back in September 2017 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
But Smith says that his brother, Callum, was the subject of a poor negotiation tactic from the Mexican’s team as he chased the mega-fight as a defence of his WBA Super, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine world titles up at super-middleweight.
“He was never getting the fight,” the 31-year-old Liverpudlian told Boxing Scene. “There was one offer made to him, which was the same offer as was made to Billy Joe Saunders, and it wasn’t a very good one.”
Liam’s mentioning of Billy Joe Saunders brings me round to the current topic: coronavirus. Saunders had been set to travel to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to defend his WBO world title at super-middleweight against Alvarez, the 29-year-old who turned professional at 15, shortly after his championship at the Junior Nationals. But COVID-19, the worldwide lockdown, the grounding of flights and the halting of society as we know it put paid to what could well have been a fight of the year.
“Billy Joe Saunders has a contract to fight ‘Canelo’ Alvarez,” said Saunders’ promoter Eddie Hearn, before it being revealed that the fight was only ever close but never signed.
And Smith, who was ringside back in November when Callum eked past John Ryder, his mandatory challenger, believes his brother will now have to look elsewhere if he is to get the big fights.
“They sent Callum the one offer, which both he and Billy Joe knocked back, and there was no more negotiation from their side to ours. Callum said to Eddie [Hearn] that he would lower his worth in the fight just to get it ahead of Billy Joe but they made another two or three offers to Saunders before they made the breakthrough and it was nailed-on that it wouldn’t be Callum.
David Benavidez is the WBC champion and he was set to face Avni Yildirim in a defence of his title before COVID-19 hit, while the IBF crown is in the custody of Caleb Plant.
“The ball is in their court,” said Plant after revealing that an offer had been made to face the Scouser, who once had a run of six consecutive first-round stoppages as he tore through the domestic ranks. “If they want to fight me, they can get back to us.”
Smith’s return was earmarked for the end of June at the latest, but with the coronavirus suspension of boxing in full swing and plans being put in place for fights to happen behind-closed-doors –– particularly in the garden at Matchroom HQ in Brentwood, Essex, as part of a concept being called Matchroom Fight Camp –– it remains to be seen exactly when ‘Mundo’ will be back in the ring, walking to the squared circle alongside Deacon Blue’s ‘Wages Day’ track.
“Callum’s massive for that weight,” Smith added, “so it could well be the case that he has to move up to light-heavyweight before he gets a big fight.”