Canelo Alvarez’s Cinco de Mayo fight could be the next boxing event to be postponed because of the coronavirus threat, according to ESPN Mexico.
Alvarez was expected to face super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders on May 2 in Las Vegas, although no announcement has been made. The sides reportedly have been ironing out final details but the pandemic has become a major factor.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Golden Boy Promotions’ Eric Gomez told ESPN. “We’re talking to the commission in Nevada, we’re talking to the MGM [Arena], state officials.”
The fight is only seven weeks away, meaning organizers will have to make a decision soon. However, they’re in a difficult position given the uncertainly of the crisis.
Sporting events worldwide have been postponed or canceled because of the spread of coronavirus. That includes a number of boxing events over the past the few days, both in the U.S. and around the world.
California officials have banned all combat sports until at least the end of March. Nevada reportedly has not taken that step.
Meanwhile, the NBA has suspended its season, the NCAA basketball tournaments have been canceled, Major League Baseball reportedly is considering postponing the start of its season and the list goes on.
The handlers of Alvarez and Saunders can opt for postponement, which would give them time to see how the threat plays out, but that also could impact Alvarez’s plans going forward. He reportedly was considering a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin in September, another big boxing weekend because of Mexican Independence Day.
Alvarez last fought last Nov. 2, when he stopped Sergey Kovalev to win a light heavyweight title. Saunders knocked out Marcelo Esteban Coceres on Nov. 9.
