KEY POINTS
- Callum Smith makes his ring return this weekend since losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2020
- The British pug is confident he can be a two-weight world champion
- Smith is eyeing a rematch with Alvarez at 175 pounds
For any athlete, the first loss will always be a bitter pill to swallow. This is the case for Callum Smith, but the British boxer is offering no excuses.
He held a perfect record before all that was shattered in 2020 against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. His WBA and The Ring super middleweight titles were on the line, as well as the Mexican's WBC strap
Smith lost via unanimous decision to the Mexican. To make matters worse, he suffered a detached bicep in that bout.
It appears this was part of the plan of Alvarez to negate his dangerous left hook, Boxingscene reported.
Either way, Smith has accepted that defeat and moved on. He decided to move up a weight to light heavyweight and will face Lenin Castillo on Saturday, September 25 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
The clash will be one of the undercards of the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk main event.
Admitting that he struggled with weight problems last time out, Smith is confident he can show a better version of him at 175 pounds. Along with that comes hopes that he lands a rematch with the Mexican champion.
“I’d love a rematch [with Canelo]. He beat me and beat me well, no excuses, but I do believe we’ll see a better version of me at 175. That’s my only regret on the fight that we never saw the best version of me in with him. I didn’t perform on the night, and that’s that. That’s on me,” Smith said to Boxing Social.
Smith believes he is good enough to be a two-weight world champion. But that can only happen if he can work his way up the ranks. That all starts with Castillo on Saturday.
“If I were offered the fight at 175, I’d jump at it if I was a world champion. I’m not going to hold my breath on that one. I do believe he’ll move up at some point, and I think he’ll go wherever he wants to. Yeah, I think we’ll see a better version of me at 175. I think we’ll see a better version of him at 175, and you’ll definitely see a better version of me,” Smith stated.
Callum Smith trains during their media work out ahead of the Light-Heavyweight fight between Callum Smith and Lenin Castillo Photo: Getty Images | Julian Finne
