After dispatching Amir Khan by sixth-round knockout in May to retain his WBC middleweight title, Mexico's Canelo Alvarez had Gennady Golovkin brought into the ring. Alvarez told the middleweight superstar he would face him in September in a title unification bout.
We are in September, but Alvarez isn't fighting Golovkin. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said Canelo needs to time to get his body adjusted to fight at 160 pounds.
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Instead of taking a fight at 160 pounds or something close to it, Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) is dropping to a class to challenge Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) for the WBO junior middleweight title from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Alvarez, 26, fought at 154 pounds in the past, but lost the WBA (Unified), WBC, and The Ring titles to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013.
Smith, 28, of England was an odd choice to be put in a headlining position against Alvarez. He has made two defenses of his title and has garnered eight consecutive knockouts, but has never faced a top-caliber opponent and is unknown outside of England.
A win by Alvarez gets boxing fans one step closer to the matchup with Golovkin. If Smith wins, it would go down as one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
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Here is everything you need to know about Canelo vs. Smith.
What time will Canelo vs. Smith take place?
The pay-per-view portion of the Sept. 17 card begins at 9 p.m. ET. Canelo and Smith are expected to enter the ring about 11:30 ET.
What TV channel is airing Canelo vs. Smith?
You can watch Canelo vs. Smith only on HBO pay-per-view.
Where can I watch Canelo vs. Smith online?
You can watch Canelo vs. Smith on goldenboyppv.com and on BoxNation .
Who is fighting on the undercard of Canelo vs. Smith?
— Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) vs. Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs), 12 rounds, for Smith's WBO junior middleweight title
— Gabriel Rosado (23-9, 13 KOs) vs. Willie Monroe Jr. (20-2, 6 KOs); middleweights
— Joseph Diaz Jr. (21-0, 12 KOs) vs. Andrew Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KOs); featherweights
— Diego De La Hoya (15-0, 9 KOs) vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle (22-2, 16 KOs); junior featherweights
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, "The Fight Club Chicago," and subscribe on iTunes . You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA .
