Eddie Hearn: Billy Joe Saunders Close To Agreeing Deal For May Fight With Canelo Alvarez

Billy Joe Saunders is close to agreeing to a May fight with Canelo Alvarez according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

It was reported last month that Alvarez — who holds the WBA and WBC super-middleweight championship — was in talks over a two-fight deal following his win over Callum Smith.

Alvarez would first take on WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on February 27 before facing Saunders, who holds the WBO super-middleweight crown.

Of course, that would only be the case if Saunders agrees to a fight and according to Hearn, that looks like a big possibility as of now.

“The path is really clear for Billy Joe Saunders to fight Canelo Alvarez,” Hearn said on The Athletic’s Pug and Copp Podcast (via talkSPORT). “We’ve just got to try and agree a deal with him to do that. We are at a stage now where we don’t have the guarantees of the major gates and a lot of fighters are taking less money.

“That’s not really a conversation that you enjoy having with Billy Joe Saunders. He feels that he can win the fight, but he also wants to be rewarded for the fight, I understand. So we’ve got to try and reach a deal with him, which we’re close to doing.

“He really needs that fight too, but he’s not just gonna take it by any means necessary. But if Billy believes he wins that fight, which I believe he thinks he does, and I think he’s got a great shot in the fight, then he needs to take the opportunity. Hopefully we can get him over the line for that fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend.”

The pair were initially supposed to collide last May only for the COVID-19 pandemic to derail those plans.

Hopefully, it comes to fruition this time as it’s been a fight in the making since their middleweight days.

Who do you have winning between Alvarez and Saunders?