SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ is set to fight Billy Joe Saunders in front of 70,000 fans in Texas, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
The Mexican will attempt to unify the WBC and WBA super-middleweight titles with Saunders’ WBO strap when they face off on May 8.
Canelo, who traditionally fights in Las Vegas, has seen his last two contests being held in other US states due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And the 30-year-old will now return to the AT&T Stadium in Texas for the first time since beating Liam Smith there back in 2016.
Hearn revealed his excitement at Canelo fighting on the same weekend as the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo that he missed out on last year.
He said: “So you know we had some tough decisions to make, one of the biggest fights in boxing Saul Canelo Alvarez against Billy Joe Saunders the unification fight May 8th, Cinco de Mayo weekend.
“Made a decision here at AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas, 70,000 people. Canelo Alvarez Billy Joe Saunders bringing big-time boxing crowds back.
“This is going to be a Cinco de Mayo celebration you will never forget.”
The AT&T Stadium, which is the home of NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, boasts an 80,000 capacity.
Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said: “We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude as we welcome back Canelo to AT&T Stadium to take on Saunders.
“AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup taking place in Arlington on May 8.”
Hearn was recently forced to deny Saunders had ‘ruptured his testicle’ after the Brit went on a social media wind-up earlier this week.
But the Matchroom promoter did insist that the WBO champ could inflict a first loss on Canelo since he fought Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
