Canelo Alvarez Battling His Critics and Liam Smith in Quest for Boxing's Crown

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez should be sitting on top of the world. He's unspeakably rich, handsome and successful, heir to the Mayweather throne as the king of boxing. In his last two fights, the 26-year-old dispatched two of the biggest stars in the sport, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan.

On Saturday, he fights Britain's Liam Smith for a world championship on HBO pay-per-view. While few are familiar with the British star, it doesn't seem to matter. Fans know Canelo, and that's what counts.

He'll be fighting for the first time at the massive AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This is Canelo's moment—or ought to be. Instead, just as fans should be flocking, an albatross hangs over the young star, one that seems unlikely to fly away on its own. Canelo should be problem-free.

But the spectre of Gennady Golovkin haunts him at every turn. Alvarez and Golovkin seem to be on a collision course—and until they meet in the ring, neither man can escape questions about the other.

A language barrier separates me from Alvarez. His English is marginal, my Spanish abysmal. That means when I interview him it's through the soft filter of a translator, a person specially trained to bridge those gaps, to bring the celebrated boxer and the grubby journalist together, if only for 15 awkward minutes. But no translator was required to hear the sigh and the frustration in his voice as he, once again, is called upon to talk about a fighter who isn't next on his hit list.

"This frustration is part of boxing," Canelo said. "It happens all the time. It's not particular to me. I want the fans to know I've always fought the best in the world in my weight class, which is 154 pounds. I've taken on all of the toughest challenges, and nobody can negate that. No one can say that. Liam Smith is a tough guy. He's a world champion. I'm going to be ready for that fight, and fans can expect a great fight."

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

But what, I ask, about Golovkin? Has he seen the harsh criticism of his promoter Oscar De La Hoya? Is he aware of fans accusing him of ducking the mighty middleweight? Canelo, a media professional who has done thousands of interviews, can't hide an audible sigh. Or maybe he doesn't want to.

"I'm really not worried about critics because they've always been there," Canelo said. "There's always criticism. First it was 'Why aren't you fighting [Erislandy] Lara?' Then, when I was fighting [James] Kirkland, they were asking 'Why aren't you fighting Cotto?'

"Critics are always worried about who I'm fighting next, and it's still happening. Instead of being Lara, instead of being Cotto, it's Golovkin. I'm really not worried about it. Once I fight Golovkin, there will be someone new I'm criticized for not fighting. Criticism happens to all the great fighters. I'm not worried about it or how it will affect my legacy.

"I've always been a 154-pound fighter. The only reason I fought at 155 before was because the fights were at a championship level. When I fought against Miguel Cotto I had to be at 155, and against Amir Khan I did it again because of the championship. Other than that, I have always been at 154. There are plans to move to 160. I could do it this year. It could happen next year. But right now I'm concentrating on this fight."

And so we turn our attention to Smith, a fighter who has never competed on American soil or on American television. Only the hardest of the hardcore have ever seen him compete. But, Canelo says, that doesn't make him any less of a challenge.

Canelo Alvarez	Fighter	Liam Smith
47-1-1 (33 KO)	Record	23-0-1 (13 KO)
26	Age	28
10/29/2005	Pro Debut	10/10/2008

"Every time we sit down to talk about possible opponents, Liam Smith was somebody that came up," Canelo said. "I was familiar with him and had seen him fight. I'm aware that he's not a recognized fighter in the U.S., primarily because he hasn't fought in the U.S., but he's definitely a recognizable fighter in the U.K.

"One of the biggest things for us was getting exciting fights to bring to the fans. He's a fast fighter and a hard puncher. He connects very well, and he comes forward. He uses a lot of combinations. Overall, he's a very dangerous fighter. These kinds of fighters are what motivate me to be very well prepared. I like that. I like to be challenged. I want to give the fans the best fights, and I think people really will enjoy this fight."

Canelo may be right about Smith. Though the Brit has never fought a world-class fighter, on the regional scene Smith has shown a solid chin and a willingness to engage. If he sticks to his game plan, there will be enough action to distract the boxing world for 30 or 45 minutes.

But no matter how good the fight is as a piece of entertainment, it can't possibly erase Golovkin from people's memories. After this fight, and every fight to follow, the questions will be there for Canelo. Soon enough, they will be overwhelming.

The answer, of course, is simple. If Canelo avoids a massive upset Saturday, there can be no more Smiths for him or Golovkin. The two men should only have eyes for each other.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.