By: Sean Crose

Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders will indeed be fighting on Saturday night at AT@T Stadium in Texas. Saunders’ father claimed the fight was off on Tuesday due to a disagreement over the size of the ring. Team Canelo wanted a larger ring, as their fighter clearly intends to do a considerable amount of footwork in the fight. Whether or not they have gotten their wish remains to be seen. The highly anticipated supermiddleweight title bout, however, remains scheduled for the weekend. “I just want to say I’m pleased the issue is sorted,” Saunders said on social media. “The ring is not a problem…thumbs are up.”

It appeared that Team Saunders might seriously be on their way back to England Tuesday after the senior Saunders said in an interview that the fight was off. Saunders himself even went so far as to avoid showing up to a scheduled media gathering with Canelo. Canelo played it cool, as he does, stating that “the fight is going to happen.” Some in the media also indicated the entire matter was much ado about nothing. And, to be sure, Saunders, like his pal Tyson Fury, is a master of mind games. Still, it’s unclear what, if anything, resolved the ring size problem – or if there even truly was one.

The undefeated Saunders currently holds the WBO super middleweight title. When he’s at his best, the Englishman is very slick and extremely skilled. Some – this author included – feel he might give Canelo trouble Saturday night. Yet it’s well worth noting that Canelo is considered the best fighter on earth for reason. A young man whose had a long career, the red haired star has lost just one bout, and that was to Floyd Mayweather in 2013, well before he was even in prime fighting form.

Needless to say, Canelo-Saunders is the biggest fight in 2021 so far. Any Canelo fight is newsworthy, but Saunders is a notable fighter with a major title to his name. He also isn’t afraid to play the villain, which always brings in much needed attention for a fight promotion. Not that Canelo himself isn’t willing to sometimes rise to the occasion. After being heckled by a Saunders fan at Tuesday’s media event, the WBA and WBC super middleweight titlist had a sharp response.

“You are a fucking pussy,” Canelo shot back at his antagonist in Spanish. He may be a man of few words, but Canelo clearly likes his words to count.  

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