CALLUM SMITH is too good to have a win over Canelo rocket up the list of most British boxing’s biggest upsets.
Liverpool’s WBA and Ring magazine super-middleweight king has accepted a mega-money defence of his titles against the four-weight Mexican legend on just a month’s notice.
Eddie Hearn insists a Callum Smith underdog win will not be a huge shockCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The 30-year-old will have to travel to Texas to take on the sport’s golden boy on his own promotion.
An underdog triumph might be considered worthy of a spot alongside the iconic away wins by the likes of Ken Buchanan, Lloyd Honeyghan, and Kell Brook.
But promoter Eddie Hearn believes, like Smith, that his undefeated 6ft 3in powerhouse is better than his 7-2 odds suggest.
“It won’t be Honeyghan beating Curry, because nobody gave Honeyghan a chance”, Hearn told SunSport.
“It will go down as one of the great British wins but I know how good he is, so it wouldn’t be a huge shock for me.
“He has bundles of ability and he has the confidence of being the best super-middleweight in the world. This has come at the perfect time for Callum”
Canelo is the highest paid boxer on the planet and even his dance partners make life-changing money in defeat.
That power is open to abuse and Smith revealed the fight was announced before he had even officially signed the contract.
But Hearn insists his man is getting a fair deal and the last-minute negotiations paid off handsomely.
He said: “Five minutes before their 11pm announcement, we still didn’t know for sure, even after weeks of negotiating with them.
Canelo Alvarez is the biggest star attraction in world boxingCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“We got close but then Canelo revealed they were making an 11pm announcement and Callum called me to ask ‘is that us?’
“I knew we didn’t have a deal but I didn’t know if he had other opponents lined up. In the end we got a deal and I am really pleased with it.”
Eddie Hearn volunteered for the National Lottery’s ‘Miss Out to Help Out’ campaign for more info visit www.missouttohelpout.com.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
