Boxing
Billy Joe Saunders thinks he'd have edge over Canelo Alvarez in fight without fans: 'He's in my world now'
Billy Joe Saunders' next fight is expected to come against Canelo Alvarez later this year, with or without fans, as the boxing world still tries to figure out how to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
While there also has been speculation of a possible Alvarez trilogy bout with Gennadiy Golovkin, Golovkin has said he'll first face Kamil Szeremeta, his IBF mandatory challenger. Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, on his "Talk the Talk" podcast with Tony Bellew, talked with Saunders about the possibility of a fight with Alvarez, and said it's the next fight he wants to see.
"I would do everything to see (Saunders) in front of a crowd against Alvarez," Hearn said. "That's what we want."
Saunders, a guest on the show, cut Hearn off right there.
"If we fight in an empty arena, he's in my world now," Saunders said. "He's in my world. He packs stadiums out, I fill half the English football grounds."
Saunders was in line to fight Alvarez earlier this year before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the sports world to a halt. He said he had flown to the United States to prepare for the fight and estimated the camp cost between $65,000 and $75,000.
Hearn said it's likely that Saunders, along with every other fighter, will probably only get to fight once this year just because of how tough it has been to figure out the logistics for fights. When asked about other fighters he'd like to face in the future, Saunders focused on Callum Smith, who has held the WBA and Ring magazine super-middleweight titles since 2018.
"I've got something he wants, and he's got something I want," Saunders said. "He's a great, great fighter, a great champion and I think he carries himself well in and out of the ring to be honest, and I can only respect him for that."
