CANELO ALVAREZ’S trainer has confirmed Billy Joe Saunders is next for the Mexican superstar on May 2.
But Saunders’ promoter Eddie Hearn is still waiting for a contract to be sent by Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya.
Canelo Alvarez is set to fight Billy Joe Saunders on May 2Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Saunders will defend his WBO belt against Mexican CaneloCredit: Getty Images – Getty
When Canelo’s trainer Eddie Reynoso was asked about their next fight, he told EsNews: “We’re ready for 2 May. Saunders.”
Super-middleweight champions Saunders and Callum Smith, 29, had both turned down offers to fight Alvarez, hoping to bargain for a better purse to fight the pound-for-pound star.
But Hearn is still waiting for an improved offer despite Reynoso giving him clarity that WBO champion Saunders, 30, will be Canelo’s next opponent.
Hearn told iFL TV: “We haven’t agreed any terms and we’ve had no contract.
“I went up to Eddy Reynoso tonight and said, ‘Who are you fighting? Any chance of us finding out?’ And he said, ‘Billy Joe Saunders’.
“But we haven’t heard from Golden Boy for a couple of days. We’re not a million miles away. Canelo and Reynoso want to fight Billy Joe.”
Canelo won a title in his fourth weight in November, after he jumped from middleweight to light-heavyweight, knocking out Sergey Kovalev for the WBO crown.
But the 29-year-old vacated the belt to move back down to super-middleweight, where he holds the WBA secondary strap after beating Rocky Fielding in December 2018.
Alvarez wants to cement his place as a fully-fledged four-weight champion, leaving Smith and Saunders as the front-runners to face the Mexican.
It is understood should both the British pair fail to secure a mega-money clash with Canelo, then promoter Hearn will pit the two together in a unification bout.
Callum Smith also in line to fight CaneloCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
