Callum Smith leads Canelo sweepstakes, Golovkin trilogy possible for 2021

Less than 60 days away from his planned September 12th return to the ring, Canelo Alvarez still lacks an opponent. A bevy of names have cropped up, from the appealing (John Ryder) to the appalling (Jason Quigley). According to The Athletic, however, there’s now a “front-runner”: actual WBA champion Callum Smith. “Mundo” has received a $5 million offer, though his “asking price” is $6 million.

Assuming the fight happens and Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO) comes out victorious, the next step would reportedly be a trilogy match with Gennadiy Golovkin next Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Smith’s (27-0, 19 KO) trainer Joe Gallagher recently insisted that his charge was still “in the frame.” Despite Smith struggling mightily with John Ryder in his most recent defense, the Brit remains one of the most appealing options still on the table. That said, it’s far from a sure thing; Smith turned down a pre-pandemic offer to fight Canelo earlier this year and, as mentioned, is asking for more than the current offer.

I’m obviously not privy to the details or, well, particularly smart, but trying to squeeze more out of what’s already a massive purse seems bizarre in these circumstances. Even putting aside the whole “no fans so no gate” thing, Smith is clearly struggling to keep making 168 pounds. Delaying the matchup until 2021 or later in pursuit of greater profit could place it at 175, and while Canelo was willing to go that high against a past-it Sergey Kovalev, there’s no guarantee he’d do the same for Smith, especially after getting turned down twice.

They need to just pick someone so I can start printing my “CANELO-TBA: THE QUIET RIOT” commemorative T-shirts.