The fight has never been formally announced. There’s never been a press conference. But there is some trash talk, perhaps as reliable a sign as any these days that the Billy Joe Saunders vs. Canelo Alvarez super middleweight fight will eventually happen.
Saunders made a cryptic reference to Alvarez’s positive test for a banned substance found in Mexican beef during an Instagram Live video with promoter Eddie Hearn this week.
Saunders commented on Hearn saying that he thought Alvarez trainer Eddy Reynoso was the best cornerman outside of the U.K.
“I think, yeah, but [Reynoso] can’t really speak a lot of English, so we can’t really know,” said Saunders, who apparently can’t really speak a lot of Spanish. “We don’t know what he’s saying. Do you know what I mean?
“Also, they do good meat out there as well, you know, good beef.”
Alvarez blamed his positive test for clenbuterol two years ago on contaminated meat he said he ate in Mexico. Clenbuterol, a steroid, is a substance injected into cattle by Mexican ranchers. The controversial test resulted in a six-month suspension, forcing a postponement of the Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin middleweight rematch, which Alvarez won by majority decision on Sept. 15, 2018 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
Saunders has his own PED history. He tested positive for a stimulant, oxilofrine, also in 2018. The positive test led to the cancellation of a scheduled middleweight title fight with Demetrius Andrade that October.
Alvarez has not responded to Saunders’ comment. He was angered by critical comments GGG made about the positive test for clenbuterol. For a while, Alvarez was apparently angry enough to say he would never fight GGG again. But that changed. There’s a reported deal for a third Alvarez-Golovkin fight, projected for Sept. 12. That all depends on when the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
Meanwhile, the reported Saunders-Alvarez fight was supposed to happen on May 2. But that too has been postponed until a date-yet-determined because of the virus.