Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has ambitions to follow in Mayweather’s footsteps as boxing’s biggest pound-for-pound star.
The Mexican drops from middleweight after flattening Amir Khan to challenge Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith for the Liverpudlian’s WBO super-welterweight title on September 17.
Smith is one of four boxing brothers trained by Joe Gallagher and according to Gallagher, Liam is the grumpy one.
Gallagher said: “Paul is a hot head, Callum is so laid back, Stephen just laughs at everything, doesn’t take anything seriously and Liam is cranky, just in it for the money. He’s always moaning, but in a funny way, like Victor Meldrew.”
Smith isn’t given much chance of beating Canelo, but Lloyd Honeyghan defied the odds in the States three decades ago.
‘The Ragamuffin Man’ from Bermondsey was given no chance of taking the world welterweight title from Donald Curry in Atlantic City in September, 1986, but bashed the American in six one-sided rounds.
Smith faces similar odds next month, but according to younger brother Callum, the No 1 contender for the WBC super-middleweight title, Liam is always underestimated.
He says Liam is the Paul Scholes of boxing, saying: “Everyone who works with him knows how good he is, but he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.”
