Callum Smith Believes Canelo Alvarez Is Entering John Ryder Fight With Something To Prove

Callum Smith doesn’t think John Ryder has much of a chance against Canelo Alvarez.

Ryder is set to take on Alvarez in Zapopan, Mexico in a fight many view as a tuneup for Alvarez. For Smith, who fought Alvarez and Ryder in back-to-back fights doesn’t have a rooting interest but doesn’t think the fight goes well for Ryder.

“To be honest, no I don’t think he does,” Smith admitted to BoxingScene.com when asked of Ryder’s chances. “I think stylistically, it’s not a bad matchup for Canelo. I hope I’m wrong, I do wish [Ryder] well. But I do think Canelo is going in with something to prove. He’s still got the loss to Bivol and the win he got against that version of Triple G (Gennadiy Golovkin]. Canelo didn’t really get the plaudits he expected in the third Triple G fight. Their first two fights were exciting, this last one wasn’t really memorable. So, between that and the loss to Dmitry Bivol, I feel he’s going into the Ryder fight with something to prove.”

Although Callum Smith expects Canelo Alvarez to beat John Ryder, he thinks due to both of them being short, it makes the bout more intriguing.

“What makes John awkward is how short and compact he is for the weight,” noted the 6’3” Smith, who is the current WBC mandatory challenger to—and in negotiations with—unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. “He’s not the biggest puncher or the fastest. He’s defensively just okay. He kind of smothers your work and is just okay at that range. None of that really factors into fighting Canelo. He’s not the shorter guy, he’s actually an inch or two taller. So, he loses what is normally an advantage for him in other fights. Canelo won’t have to work hard to find him.”

Ultimately, Smith is confident Alvarez will be getting his hand raised on Saturday night.

Do you agree with Callum Smith?