Canelo Alvarez finally lands Billy Joe Saunders for May!
ESPN Deportes reports that finally boxing biggest earner and four-divisional champion Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36ko), has a bonafide opponent in WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14ko) for a fight date on Cinco De Mayo weekend!
It has been a tumultuous event for Golden Boy Promotions in an effort to find an acceptable opponent. Furthermore, the two top front-runners under the watchful promotion of Eddie Hearn where turning down the initial offers.
WBA “Super” champion Callum Smith was first to give the fight offer a thumbs down, followed by Saunders. Then PBC’s IBF Champion Caleb Plant followed suit.
According to the UK’s The Daily Mirror News, the vocal British promoter recently wasn’t sure who would get the fight. Moreover, Saunders’ patience was growing thin.
“I think Billy Joe Saunders is the front-runner now but previously it was Callum Smith and it could change again.
“Right now, Billy Joe is the favourite but three days ago it was Callum. There different messages coming out from Canelo’s team and his promoter Golden Boy.
“Both fighters are standing by to see who gets the golden ticket but neither have set a deadline.”
“Billy has been telling me for two weeks ‘I want to know today or tell Canelo to fuck off.”
The WBO champion’s frustration was warranted. This has been a very long and confusion process. Both Smith and Saunders put off a unification bout with each other in hopes of landing that big payday.
Saunders can now rest easy as he has won Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket to the biggest payday of his career. It’s very likely this fight will be apart of the DAZN/UK expansion that was announced recently.
This fight is eight weeks away, therefore, the boxing community and the promotional machine will be working overtime on getting things kick started.
Furthermore, with the fight landing at the T-mobile Arena in Las Vegas, be on the lookout for another huge British invasion in Sin City!
By: Garrisson Bland
