Canelo Alvarez vs Liam Smith is Reportedly Headed to Jerry’s World

Canelo Alvarez vs Liam Smith – According to Dallas Morning News reporter Barry Horn, the September 17 match between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and England’s Liam Smith is headed to AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington. The official announcement will come next week. Colloquially called “Jerry’s World” or “Jerry World,” a nod to the driving force behind the city-owned stadium, Jerry Jones, the venue seats 80,000 and is widely considered the most technologically sophisticated stadium in the world.

This will be the third fight staged there, but the first in almost six years. Manny Pacquaio headlined two fights here in 2010 when the arena was known as Cowboys Stadium. He christened the venue for boxing with a bout against Joshua Clottey and returned 10 months later to fight Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao vs. Clottey reportedly drew 50,994, a number that included more than 8,000 standing room only passes that sold for $35. The announced crowd for Pacquiao-Margarito was 41,734.

Those bouts were promoted by Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum. He and Jerry Jones were then on the best of terms. At press confabs and in media conference calls, each was effusive in his praise of the other. But there would be no more collaboration after 2010, which some attributed to Jones’ displeasure that Arum failed to deliver the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.

Arum won’t be involved this time. Canelo Alvarez is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions; Liam Smith is controlled by longtime British promoter Frank Warren. And criticism of Canelo choosing a relatively obscure opponent has been tempered to some extent by talk that the match will be pinned to a very strong undercard. Already confirmed is a bout between undefeated heavyweight Luis Ortiz and 33-1 Alexander Ustinov. WBO World middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders is slated to make his U.S. debut against a yet undetermined opponent.

By snatching this promotion from the jaws of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, Jerry Jones seemingly has a leg up in landing Canelo vs. Golovkin, a mega-fight on the drawing board for 2017. Barring a mishap in London on Sept. 10, the shadow of Triple-G will loom large in the days leading up to Canelo vs. Smith. Golovkin’s match with Kell Brook will transpire a mere seven days before the big show at Jerry’s World.

Canelo Alvarez vs Liam Smith