The campaign to be Canelo Alvarez’s next opponent continues.
Callum Smith, a super middleweight champion, is trying keep himself in line for the big money that comes with a shot at Alvarez in a fight projected to happen on Cinco De Mayo weekend in early May.
“I think everyone is just waiting to see who he picks,’’ Smith told Soccer AM, a Sky Sports’ talk show.
The waiting game continues amid uncertainty about talks for Alvarez to fight Ryota Murata in Japan. Negotiations are going nowhere, according to a report by ESPN, which cited an unnamed source.
Alvarez, still a reigning middleweight titleholder, is expected to go back down in weight after he relinquished the light heavyweight belt he took from Sergey Kovalev by a 10th-round stoppage in his last bout Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.
Murata fights at 160 pounds. Smith is at 168. Billy Joe Saunders, who holds another 168-pound belt, is also believed to be a possible Alvarez opponent.
“If it is me, I would be happy,’’ Smith said. “If not, I’m in a good division. There’s a lot of big fights out there for me, outside Canelo Alvarez, so I’m in a good position. It’s just sitting and waiting and hopefully we can get one of the big names sorted.
“Styles make fights. I think I’m a bit of a bad fight for him. I’m 6-foot-3. I’m a lot bigger than him. I can punch. Style-wise, I’m not ideal to fight, but I’m not taking anything away from Canelo Alvarez. He’s a special fighter and he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world for a reason.
“I wouldn’t say he’s avoided me. I just think there’s a big list of opponents who want to fight him. So he’s got the choice of many, and he picks who he wants to fight. Whoever gets the job, takes it.”