Not so fast.
Promoter Eddie Hearn says his charge Billy Joe Saunders still has “a deal in place” to face Canelo Alvarez in the summer, should health concerns allow it, despite a a recent report that Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin had agreed to terms on a third fight in September.
The projected Alvarez-Saunders title bout in May was never announced because of the ravaging effects of the coronavirus, which has upended sports programming around the globe.
“(Alvarez-Saunders) now depends when the sport begins again,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “Because that fight was supposed to take place on Cinco de Mayo. Now that’s definitely not happening.”
Hearn, ever the optimist, believes the fight can still happen if the coronavirus threat subsides considerably by the summer.
“Will boxing return in June, July?” he said. “If it does, then there’s every chance that Billy Joe will fight Canelo Alvarez during that period. And the date of the Golovkin fight will be pushed back.”
Saunders is a super middleweight titleholder, which means Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) would have an opportunity to win a legitimate title in a fourth division. He won what the WBA calls its “regular” 168-pound title when he stopped Rocky Fielding in 2018 but Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that belt.
One silver lining for Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) is that he wouldn’t have to travel far should an Alvarez fight materialize.
“Right now Billy Joe is in Las Vegas training,” Hearn said. “We were supposed to have a press conference on Monday to announce the Canelo Alvarez fight, so he’s out there training with (trainer) Ben Davison and (junior welterweight titleholder) Josh Taylor, who just had his fight postponed from May 2.
“No one knows what they’re doing. It’s a moment where you got to stay focused, you’ve got to stay disciplined. I believe Billy Joe Saunders will fight Canelo Alvarez as long as the boxing schedule returns in the summer.”