No Ordinary Smith: Promoter promises extraordinary upset of Canelo

By Norm Frauenheim-

He appears to be a mere prop in Canelo Alvarez’ long-term design on creating a legend that still awaits a defining moment, perhaps against . He’s another Smith.

He’s the brother of Paul and Stephen, who are about as forgettable as any other Smith who has fought in the United States.

Betting odds, which opened at 11-1 and are about 10-1 in the UK, suggest that this Smith Brother, Liam, won’t last longer than a cough drop on Sept. 17 against the heavily-favored Canelo on Sept. 17 in a ring on top of the Dallas Cowboys home field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

Liam Smith and his management have other ideas. No surprise there. It would be a bigger upset than a victory over Canelo if they didn’t, of course. But they, like Canelo, also have plans on making history, both for the Smith family and the UK.

Unlike Canelo, however, their plans are more immediate. The unknown Liam Smith and his well-known promoter, Frank Warren, are talking about an upset that would be one for the books. Warren put it this way during a conference call Thursday when asked if Liam Smith would fight in November after a predicted loss to Canelo:

“No, that’s not possible, because he’s going to win.’’

The one-sided odds say otherwise. So, too, does the Texas location and the September date that coincides with the celebration of Mexican Independence.

Canelo, who has taken back the Mexican holidays in May and September since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement, is hugely popular in Texas. He has fought in front of big crowds in Houston and San Antonio.

Now, he fights for the first time in Dallas, where he intends to further cement his claim on being the face of while also gaining leverage in negotiations for a GGG showdown in 2017.

Translation: All of the pressure is on Canelo to deliver a dominant performance in a fight that will happen one week after GGG faces in on Sept. 10. If all goes as predicted, the two performances will be a reference point in analyzing who would win and how in a GGG-Canelo bout.

An intriguing footnote is that Canelo is a bigger favorite over Smith at 154 pounds than champion Golovkin is against Brook, a champion who is jumping from 147 to 160. GGG is a 7-to-1 favorite.

Liam Smith, the WBO’s 154-pound belt-holder, feels he has as good a shot as Brook has.

“Yes, I like my chances,’’ said Liam, whose brothers were beaten in their last trips to the U.S.

Paul Smith, a super-middleweight, lost to last year in Oakland, Calif. Stephan Smith, a super-, lost to Jose Pedraza last April in Mashantucket, Conn. Warren suggested Thursday that Liam is the best of the Smiths, one whom he says will record an upset as big as any in UK boxing history.

“So often, people go over to the States to fight, thinking that they have nothing to lose,’’ said Warren, who said a Liam Smith victory would place him alongside ’s upsets of Jeff Lacy, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. “But Liam has something to lose: His pride.’’

So, too, does Canelo, whose own brand of fierce pride is just one of many things at stake.