Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders have agreed to a title unification bout in May.
The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger reported Thursday that both Alvarez and Saunders have agreed to a super-middleweight title unification bout on Cinco De Mayo weekend. Due to the holiday falling on a Wednesday, the fight will take place on either May 1 or May 8.
In order for this fight to take place, Alvarez must first face his mandatory opponent, per his contract, in Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 in Miami, Florida. As long as Alvarez comes out of the fight uninjured and victorious, he will be able to turn around and begin preparations for his bout against Saunders in May.
Both Alvarez and Saunders’ titles will be on the line in this fight, making it for the WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight titles.
Alvarez’s goal is to unify all four of the titles in the super-middleweight division. If he can collect Saunders WBO belt in May, the only title left for him to get would be the IBF title held by Caleb Plant, who’s putting it on the line against Caleb Traux this weekend.
Source: Theathletic.com
