Prior to Canelo Alvarez vs John Ryder, Liam Smith disclosed that he had not engaged in sparring since the start of August.
This came after his defeat to Canelo Alvarez via a ninth-round knockout in a thrilling battle at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Which resulted in the Scouser losing his WBO super-welterweight championship to the superstar.
Canelo Alvarez, an established Mexican boxer, will return to his native country after nearly a decade to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against British rival John Ryder.
The fight will take place on May 6, 2023, at the Akron Stadium in Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara in front of a 55,000-strong crowd.
Alvarez is the favorite to win the match and retain his WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts against Ryder. In his career, Alvarez has fought in 62 matches, winning 58, losing two, and drawing in the remaining matches.
The fight is scheduled to take place just one day after Mexico’s annual celebration of ‘Cinco de Mayo,’ which commemorates the country’s victory against the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza.
Alvarez seems thrilled to fight in front of his hometown crowd and recalled his days selling ice cream with his father before becoming a world champion.
Liam Smith recalls his match with Canelo Alvarez
Liam, a tough fighter from Liverpool, England, has solidified his position as a top-level boxer. Earlier this year, the 34-year-old pulled off a surprising fourth-round victory over his countryman, Chris Eubank Jr., in a middleweight bout held at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Despite being heavily underestimated in that fight. Smith will now reap the benefits of his latest achievement with a rematch against Eubank. Which is set for June 17 at the same venue as before.
Liam had been stopped back in 2016. When Canelo knocked him out with a body shot in the ninth round of their 154-pound title fight.
Smith notes that all things considered, he has performed better than most of his compatriots against Alvarez. Who currently holds the undisputed championship at 168.
Liam Smith: 'I've Done Probably Better Than Any of The Brits [Against Canelo]' https://t.co/cHW4GIJ6gF pic.twitter.com/N5ApKKdScs
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 6, 2023
Other British fighters who have faced—and fallen to—Alvarez include Smith’s brother. Callum Smith (who went the distance), Billy Joe Saunders (who was stopped in the eighth round), and Rocky Fielding (who was knocked out in three).
“Hypothetically, who’s given me a beating, put miles on the clock?” Smith asked rhetorically in an interview with BBC 5 Live Boxing. “Yeah, people say Canleo, but look at the Canelo fight. I’ve done probably better than any of the Brits. People have gotten stopped and some have gone [the distance] with him. I’ve probably given him a tougher fight than most of the Brits.
Before agreeing to fight Liam in a rematch, Eubank expressed interest in a potential fight against troubled welterweight Conor Benn.
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