If Jermell Charlo is in need of a confidence boost ahead of his clash with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on September 30th in Las Vegas, bombastic reporter Stephen A Smith probably won’t be the man he calls.
Light middleweight king Charlo will jump up two weight classes to challenge for Alvarez’ undisputed super middleweight crown, in what is unquestionably both the biggest fight and toughest test of the American’s professional career thus far.
And when he appeared on Smith’s show for an interview to promote the contest, the ESPN mouthpiece explained to him, in detail, why the fight against Alvarez was a “dangerous proposition.”
“Obviously you’re a damned good defensive fighter, but you’ve got a lot of heart.
I’m going to tell you right now, on national television, here’s where I get worried about you in this fight.
You’ve got a lot of heart, you ain’t scared of anybody, you believe in yourself in every facet and you’re going up against a guy that’s been fighting at a larger weight. – that wants somebody who ain’t scared and who’s coming to him.
That could be a dangerous proposition for you.”
Despite Smith’s stark warning, ‘Canelo’ is not viewed as an insurmountable for Charlo next month, with some in the sport of the opinion that the Mexican is past his peak.
The pair faced off for the first time at a press conference earlier this week, and fans were taken aback at how much taller ‘Iron man’ was, and some started to question whether the size difference on the night will be as pronounced as initially expected.