By Gilbert Manzano

Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez only has two-plus rounds of experience at super middleweight, but Callum Smith saw enough to produce a scouting report.

Alvarez destroyed Rocky Fielding inside three rounds during his super middleweight debut in December at Madison Square Garden in New York. Alvarez dropped Fielding four times with devastating body punches to capture the WBA secondary title. 

To many, it was a flawless performance, but Smith noticed an advantage, one he plans on using if he lands a future bout against Alvarez.  

“(Alvarez is) a very good fighter, I just think he’s a better middleweight than a super middleweight,” Smith told BoxingScene.com. “But I’ll definitely would love to test myself against him.”

The fight between Alvarez and Fielding was a mismatch, as expected, even with Fielding having the size advantage. A bout with Smith would be a much more difficult task for Alvarez. Smith is regarded as one of the best fighters at 168 and has a six-inch height advantage over Alvarez.

Another edge for the 6-foot-3 Smith, it only took him one round to knockout Fielding in 2015. It would be a compelling matchup, but Smith doesn’t expect to get in the ring with Alvarez any time soon.        

“I think (Alvarez is) going to stay at 160 for awhile,” Smith said. “I think he has a lot of fights there, but if he steps back up to 168 then I’d definitely put my hand up for that fight.”

Alvarez is scheduled to face Daniel Jacobs in a middleweight unification bout on May 4 in Las Vegas. If Alvarez prevails, all signs point to a potential trilogy bout with Gennady Golovkin in September.

But if Alvarez returns to super middleweight, Smith is likely at the front of the line. Both their promoters are in business with DAZN and they each have a WBA belt. In December, Golden Boy Promotions bosses Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez hinted at potential Alvarez-Smith bout at Wembley Stadium in London. 

Smith is penciled in to fight June 1 against an opponent to be named later on the Anthony Joshua-Jarrell Miller undercard.

The Smith family is familiar with Alvarez. In 2016, Alvarez recorded a ninth-round knockout against Smith’s older brother, Liam, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Callum Smith won’t wait around for Alvarez. He’s eyeing unification bouts in the super middleweight division.

“Caleb Plant is a good fighter, (David) Benavidez is a good fighter, Gilberto (Ramirez) is a good fighter and myself,” Smith said. “I think if the four of us could make fights between ourselves it would be good for the division.”