Canelo Alvarez issues statement after beating Callum Smith: “I’m back!”

Pound-for-pound boxing great Canelo Alvarez issued a statement after beating Callum Smith, announcing to the sports world that “I’m back!”

Alvarez moved up to the super middleweight division in this bout to take on Smith. Alvarez gave up six inches of height in the contest (5’9″ to 6’3″) and he also gave up a significant reach advantage, but none of those physical advantages for Smith mattered as Alvarez boxed him up for nearly the full 12 rounds. At the end of 36 minutes of boxing action, Alvarez won a unanimous decision (119-109, 119-109, 117-111). The lopsided win over Smith won Alvarez the WBC and WBA super-middleweight titles.

Following the dominant win over Smith, one that will keep him entrenched as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the sport, Alvarez took to his social media to issue a statement where he announced to the boxing community that he’s officially back.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAmAfxnGzq/

I’M BACK! WBC Super Middleweight Champion WBA Super Middleweight Champion Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion #CaneloSmith #TheP4PKingIsBack @caneloteam

It might be odd to see the fighter who is universally regarded as the best in the sport of boxing announce that he’s “back,” but you have to remember that 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year for him outside of the cage. Alvarez has not been able to fight since November 2019 due to issues with his former promoter Golden Boy Promotions and with DAZN. Thankfully, things worked out and Alvarez got this fight with Smith.

After beating Smith in dominant fashion, Alvarez improved to 54-1-2 as a professional boxer. His lone defeat as a pro came to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, where he dropped a majority decision to the legend back in 2013. With Mayweather now retired and busy with big-money exhibition fights with overmatched opponents, Alvarez has taken his mantle as the No. 1 P4P boxer in the sport and he has run with it. For his next fight, Alvarez could take on rival Gennady Golovkin in what would be a trilogy.

Do you want to see Canelo Alvarez fight Gennady Golovkin next or someone else?