Saul Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1) will meet WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam Beefy Smith (23-0-1) for his next bout on September 17th live on HBO pay-per-view.
The former two-division world champion announced his next bout yesterday in Dallas at AT&T Stadium, the venue where the fight will be held. Looking to capitalize on his huge Hispanic fan base the fight takes place during Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Ive got to see Canelo fight, and I cant tell you how impressed I am by his talent, to see it up close and personal,” said Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium.
“We have some great Hispanic boxing fans here in Texas. We recognize what a great talent Liam Smith is and what a great fighter Canelo is, and what he means to Mexican fans. It is a great gift for us to host this event on Mexican Independence Day weekend.”
(Canelo Alvarez in AT&T Stadium, Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions)
During the kickoff press conference, Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, led a moment of silence to honor the victims of the recent tragedy affecting the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers.
Both of these fighters come from boxing families,” said De La Hoya. “Both of them will come to the ring on September 17 to wage a war: for Canelo, to claim a new title as the WBO junior middleweight world champion and for Smith, to successfully defend his WBO title once again and make a name for himself in the U.S.”
(Canelo Alvarez in AT&T Stadium, Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions)
Alvarez recently abandoned his WBC World middleweight title after crushing Amir Khan in the 6th round on May 7th. He had a mandatory challenger in Middleweight juggernaut, Gennady GGG Golovkin but relinquished the belt due to lack of reaching a deal before the allotted time period to confirm the fight.
“Im going to take this fight seriously and prepare like always,” said Avarez. “I know how Im going to have to train. I like to give the fans a great fight, and that is what I will prepare for.
Many fans are getting tired of waiting for the big fights where stars meet in their prime and this move by Alvarez is just another reason to complain. With Alvarez going down in weight to face the undefeated Briton and Kell Brook going up in weight to challenge Golovkin, also in September, the only true losers are the fans whom have predictable outcomes for these pairings.
