Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith: Bleacher Report Staff Predictions

Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez takes on 168-pound champion Callum Smith on Saturday in the main event of a card on DAZN.

Canelo vs. Smith takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The main card is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the main event bout set to begin at about 11 p.m. ET.

Before one of the biggest and most anticipated bouts of the year takes place, Bleacher Report's panel of boxing experts assembled to predict how things will unfold between the stalwarts on fight night.

Will Alvarez score another title, or is an upset brewing in Texas?

Read through our predictions, and leave your own in the comments section.

Kelsey McCarson: 'People Will Think Smith Deserves the Nod'

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Can Callum Smith pull the upset win over Canelo Alvarez?

Canelo Alvarez is making a big mistake by fighting 168-pound titleholder Callum Smith on such short notice, but because boxing is so broken and predictable, he won't be made to pay for it in any significant way.

Smith's length and clever boxing ability, augmented by his significant power, will keep Alvarez limited in terms of offense. Alvarez is a great counterpuncher, but Smith won't give him many chances to do significant damage.

The fight will look much like Alvarez's win over light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev in Nov. 2019, except that Alvarez will appear even less busy than he did in the first half of that fight and the knockout will never come in the second half against Smith as it did against the Russian.

Unlike Kovalev, Smith is in his prime fighting years. He will be way more dangerous all night than the aging Russian, and Alvarez will be forced to respect the inherent danger of facing the larger man this time around.

Judges will have their hands full, except that they will give the A-side, Alvarez, the benefit of the doubt in every close round.

By the end of 12 rounds, most reasonable people will think Smith deserves the nod in the fight, only to see Alvarez awarded the split-decision victory because he's the way more popular fighter.

This kind of thing happens all the time in boxing, and it's not likely to change anytime soon.

Alvarez wins the fight on the scorecards but looks bad enough in the bout to admit (at least to himself) that maybe he isn't a super middleweight after all.

Alvarez via split decision.

Tom Taylor: 'Expect the Mexican Legend to Topple His Goliath'

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Can Canelo Alvarez topple another Goliath?

Kelsey isn't the first person I've seen predicting an impressive performance from Callum Smith on Saturday, and it's easy to understand why he and so many others have such confidence in the Brit.

Smith is going to have a massive size and reach advantage in this 168-pound matchup, and if he's able to keep Alvarez at bay with his jab, he can definitely win rounds—maybe even enough to sway the judges. Factor in his firepower—which at worst will keep Alvarez cautious and at best separate the Mexican from his consciousness—and it's even easier to envision a world wherein he springs the upset.

As much as I understand the widespread confidence in Smith, though, my crystal ball is forecasting an Alvarez win—and contrary to Kelsey's expectations, one that fans won't be calling a robbery Sunday morning.

When we last saw Smith in action, in Nov. 2019, he picked up a decision win over John Ryder but absorbed some significant impacts inside in the process. On the flip side, Canelo has shown he's capable of closing the distance and landing on bigger men, most notably in his 2019 win over an admittedly shopworn version of Kovalev.

On Saturday, look for the Mexican legend to sneak inside early and start investing in his towering foe's body. When Smith's body softens, expect Alvarez to take his attack to higher altitudes with violent results.

It won't be easy, and it won't be quick, but expect Canelo to topple his Goliath inside the Alamodome.

Alvarez, KO, Rd. 11.

Lyle Fitzsimmons: 'Another Chapter to a Story I've Enjoyed Telling'

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Will Canelo Alvarez remain the hero Saturday night?

I, too, get the reasons why Kelsey is riding with Team Smith.

The guy's a legit fighter and champion. He's taller and longer than Canelo. And the 168-pound ranks have been his wheelhouse since Mr. Alvarez was still melting down to a mere 154.

Still, while I can foresee an upset because of Smith, I'm not picking one because of Alvarez.

I was fortunate to be on the ground floor with him, or at least close to it, more than seven years ago.

As the official press tour blogger for Showtime, I accompanied its behind-the-scenes apparatus on a nine-day, 11-city summertime odyssey where Canelo and Floyd Mayweather would stand up in front of thousands of people, promise violence and then board a plane and repeat the routine at the next venue.

Even as a 22-year-old, Alvarez had it. And though he was in over his head with a foe as complete as Mayweather, every insider I spoke to back then promised he would one day rule the sport.

Fast-forward seven-plus years, and he's done everything that everyone told me he would.

His go-round with Mayweather at junior middleweight girded him for the big stage, his back and forth with Golovkin at 160—even if you believe he deserved neither nod—showed his willingness to face the best on their terms and his toppling of Kovalev, shopworn or not, at 175 showed guts and grit to spare.

In fact, the only gap on his resume comes at 168, where a wipeout of no-hoper Rocky Fielding seems badly out of place given his typical fare of high-end champions and high-profile contenders.

Meeting Smith changes that. And beating him will add another chapter to a story I've enjoyed telling.

Alvarez, KO, Rd. 9.