Canelo Alvarez Beats Callum Smith via Decision, Wins Super Middleweight Titles

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's goal of taking over the super middleweight division got off to a fine start Saturday night, as the Mexican superstar defeated Callum Smith via unanimous decision at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The judges scored the fight 119-109, 119-109, 117-13 in favor of Alvarez. He deserved every point in what was one of the strongest performances of his career.

The 30-year-old's full complement of skills was on display against Smith, who suffered the first loss of his career. Alvarez's jab was accurate, he mixed up punches to the head and body well and his defensive work kept him from taking much damage. He dominated the bigger man from start to finish.

ESPN's Max Kellerman reacted to the dominant performance:

Smith fought bravely, but it was a systematic dismantling by Canelo. By the time the match ended, the Englishman's face was swollen, his white trunks were spattered with blood and his WBA world title belonged to Alvarez.

This was Alvarez's first fight since beating Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight in November 2019. Back down to a more comfortable 168 pounds, Alvarez, who also earned the vacant WBC title with the victory, is looking to take over the division.

"I want all the belts. It doesn't matter who is there," Alvarez said after the bout through an interpreter on the DAZN broadcast.

The height and reach disparity presented a unique challenge for Alvarez, but it didn't take long for him to find a rhythm. Smith did well when using his jab to keep Alvarez at a distance, while the latter looked for opportunities to throw hard shots at Smith's torso.

The third round saw Alvarez start to use his head movement more to get out of the way of Smith's punches and inch his way in closer. He was the more accurate fighter, with his tightly coiled shots finding a landing spot at a decent clip. Whenever Smith got trapped on the ropes, Alvarez used it as an opportunity to hammer away at his body.

The Athletic's Mike Coppinger liked what he saw from Canelo early on:

Smith was letting his hands go more than Alvarez, but the Englishman had trouble landing anything significant. He mixed a few uppercuts into his arsenal starting in the fifth round, but they didn't keep Alvarez from stalking him around the ring for very long.

Boxing writer Patrick Connor felt Smith tactics were fine, he just lacked the power to deter his opponent:

DAZN Boxing showed off some of the great defensive work from Alvarez that mitigated Smith's better combinations:

Smith's length, stamina and work rate kept him from getting pummeled in the first half of the fight, but he started to look more ragged in the seventh round. Alvarez looked as comfortable in the seventh frame as he did in the first, and he found it easier to trap Smith against the ropes where he could then load up on his punches.

A brilliant uppercut in the middle of the eighth rocked Smith, who did a good job of returning fire and getting out of trouble. Every time Smith elevated his game, Alvarez seemed to have an answer, whether it was a slick defensive move, changing levels or simply stepping into his power punches.

The ninth saw Alvarez visibly hurt a bloodied, bruised Smith. Actress Rosie Perez was impressed with Smith's ability to withstand the punishment:

DAZN's Andreas Hale commented on the beating Smith was taking:

DAZN Boxing provided a glimpse of the advanced techniques Alvarez was showing off late in the fight:

Smith survived to the final bell, but he paid an incredible price for it. He's likely going to need some significant time off or a tune-up fight if he wants to work his way back into contention.

The win puts Alvarez in prime position to get back to his typical two-fights-a-year schedule in 2021. There's been chatter surrounding a potential third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin, who dominated Kamil Szeremeta in a middleweight title fight Friday night.

Alvarez could also continue with his stated goal of unifying the 168-pound division, which would mean the likes of Caleb Plant or Billy Joe Saunders would face the daunting task of taking down boxing's biggest star.