Canelo Alvarez went head-to-head with one of the bravest fighters in all of boxing, and took him out with a brutal hook to the body.
In his career, the Mexican has cemented his status as one of the pound-for-pound best competitors on the planet.
The practitioner of the sweet science has fantastic head movement and tremendous shot selection. In addition, he’s renowned for his power. Canelo rendered James Kirkland unconscious with an absolute bomb and did the exact same thing to Amir Khan in a Las Vegas super fight.
But perhaps his most underrated stoppage came against a competitor renowned for his iron will.
WOW: Canelo Alvarez advised to duck one fighter he has ‘no way’ of beating
Canelo Alvarez destroyed Liam Smith with a body shot
On September 17, 2016, in front of a whopping 51,240 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA, Canelo Alvarez challenged Liam Smith for the WBO super welterweight world title.
While ultimately outclassed, the Liverpudlian stepped out in front of a raucous crowd, with the intention of giving everything in his power to pull off a monumental upset.
To his credit, throughout the fight, he did land some impressive shots, but as the rounds rolled on, Canelo downloaded the data and eventually planned the Brit’s demise.
In the seventh round, the legend unleashed a cracker of a left hook to the body to send Smith tumbling toward the canvas.
However, while he was down, the Scouser certainly wasn’t out, bravely rising to his feet, and continuing to trade with his rival.
In the eighth, the Englishman marched the future Hall of Famer to the ropes, unleashing combinations in the direction of the icon.
However, a poised Canelo awaited his opportunity to pounce, landing to the body once more, to drop Smith for a second time.
Refusing to give up, the underdog managed to survive, coming out in the ninth with a point to prove.
Alas, once again, his opponent lulled him into a false sense of security, taking a few shots on the ropes, before landing one last body shot to drop his opponent and end the fight once and for all.
Floyd Mayweather reveals the major issue he had before his fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez
While his bout against Smith at super welterweight couldn’t have gone much better, his match-up with Floyd Mayweather, two pounds below the traditional limit, couldn’t have gone much worse.
Despite his best efforts, there was seemingly nothing the Guadalajara athlete could do to get to the American.
The highest-earner in the history of the sport danced rings around him, despite having to overcome massive adversity in the build-up.
Now, Mayweather has revealed what went wrong before he fought Canelo.