Home Boxing News Billy Joe Saunders ready to face ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at any weight

Billy Joe Saunders ready to face ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at any weight

Billy Joe Saunders vs Chris Eubank Jr

Former WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders 27-0 (13) has thrown his name into the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 52-1-2 (35) sweepstakes.

The 29-year-old southpaw, who is to face German-based Albanian Shefat Isufi 27-3-2 (20) at Stevenage FC’s Lamex Stadium on Saturday May 18 for the vacant WBO world super middleweight championship, believes Alvarez doesn’t want to face him.

“I would love the Canelo fight, but does he want to fight me? I don’t think so,” said Saunders. “If they do want to fight me, ring me up. I am not asking for millions. Just be fair with me and we can get the show on the road.

“Canelo has cemented his name, made good money and is a superstar in the sport. I wouldn’t say he is avoiding me, but there are plenty of people he can pick apart from Billy Joe Saunders.

“That is a fact. Who wants to fight a slick southpaw who is hard to hit?

“It could be middleweight or super middleweight. I want the big fights and that is a reason I am moving up to super middleweight. I cannot get the big fights at middleweight.”

Alvarez outpointed Daniel Jacobs 35-3 (29) in a middleweight world title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night. There was a minor controversy on the morning of the fight when Jacobs came in 3.6-pounds over contracted weight of 170-pounds at the second weigh-in on the morning of the fight.

The breach reportedly cost Jacobs around $750,000 in penalties.

“I wouldn’t be restricted for any weight clauses at all,” Saunders said.

“Daniel Jacobs was clearly struggling to come in the next day only three pounds over the agreed weight. If he wanted to balloon up, he would have been eight or nine pounds above what he was at the weigh-in.

“That has cost him a lot of money and I believe that took a bit of performance away from Jacobs.”

Another name in the mix to face Alvarez in September is Liverpool’s WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith 25-0 (18), but Saunders says he would like to get to Smith first.

“Callum is a good fighter and big, but I think people go on about size in this sport too much,” Saunders continued.

“We saw David Haye beating Nikolai Valuev. Size doesn’t matter in this sport.

“If you’re good enough, you’re good enough, end of and I believe I am good enough to beat Callum Smith. That is a fight I would entertain.”