We May Need To Wait A While For Canelo-Saunders

The unofficial but planned bout between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders may once again be in jeopardy. This time, due to a global pandemic.

Initially, Canelo v. Saunders was set for around May 2 on DAZN. The ideal location ranged from Las Vegas to Mexico to the United Kingdom. DAZN and Golden Boy appeared to be set to actually announce the fight within the next few days. Due to restrictions as a result of the virus, however, we may have to wait a while for a set date and location. According to BoxingScene, the fight could be pushed back June. In fact, there is a chance the fight could be delayed beyond that, like August or September.

One of the initial reasons for the event getting pushed could be a direct result of of the Nevada Athletic Commission suspending all combat sports events until March 25. After that, the commission could end up extending that suspension. With MGM Grand (owner of the T-Mobile Arena) closing all locations in Vegas, this could be a further indication of the fight being pushed back.

The President also held a press conference stating to avoid crowds of 10+ people, with the CDC recommending not going to events until at least May. Along with governor’s banning events from New York to Ohio to Los Angeles, a number of sporting events have been postponed. That includes the NBA, MLB, NCAA, etc.

Canelo (53-1-2) signed a $365 million deal with DAZN, requiring him to fight multiple bouts. Since fighting Gennady Golovkin to a split decision draw back in 2017, Canelo has since beaten Golvkin, Rocky Fielding, Daniel Jacobs and Kovalev. His last bout against Kovalev back in November for the WBO Light-Heavyweight Title was won by Canelo via KO. After the bout, Canelo dropped the title to focus on middleweight.

Saunders (29-0) is coming off of a TKO-win against Marcelo Esteban Coceres back in November to retain his WBO belt. The former WBO Middleweight Champion and current WBO Super-Middleweight Champion has 14 wins via knockout, and was recently showcased to the world on the KSI v. Logan Paul II card.