Saunders wants to fight Andrade BEFORE a May showdown with Canelo

Billy Joe Saunders insists he won’t be ‘twiddling his thumbs’ waiting around for Canelo as he calls on Eddie Hearn to make a fight with Demetrius Andrade BEFORE a potential May showdown with the Mexican star

  • Billy Joe Saunders wants a blockbuster fight against Canelo Alvarez in May
  • The Brit called on Eddie Hearn to get him a fight with Demetrius Andrade first
  • Canelo is set for a February mandatory defence of his titles against Avni Yildirim
  • Saunders suggested he may walk away from boxing if he doesn’t get big fights

Billy Joe Saunders is desperate to land a super fight with Canelo Alvarez but is prepared to put his super-middleweight world title on the line before their potential showdown in May.

The undefeated Brit has called on Demetrius Andrade to vacate his middleweight world title and step up to 168lbs to face him next month with the winner going on to face Canelo in early spring.

Saunders was due to fight Andrade back in October 2018 but missed out on a career-high pay day of £1.8million after testing positive for a banned substance.

Billy Joe Saunders wants a competitive world title defence before potential Canelo fight in May

His promoter Eddie Hearn wants to make a blockbuster unification fight between Saunders and WBC and WBA super-middleweight champion Canelo, but the Mexican is first due for a mandatory defence against Avni Yildirim in February.

Saunders, who had also been scheduled to fight Canelo last summer before the pandemic caused it to be delayed and then cancelled, insisted he will not sit around and wait until May, calling on Hearn to make a fight with Andrade first. 

‘I’m supremely confident of knocking him out cold, very confident,’ the 31-year-old said of Andrade to IFL TV.

Canelo has a mandatory defence in February before facing either Saunders or Caleb Plant

‘Me and him have swapped messages on social media. I would love to give him a hiding. Eddie Hearn, let’s make the fight. Let’s get it on, rock and roll. Vacate the WBO 160 title, move up, tell the WBO you’re moving up, and we can get it on.

‘I can make 160, but why would I want to go back down to 160 when all the big money fights are at 168, and all the big talents have come up to 168?’

‘I don’t want to be sitting around. Let Canelo do his thing,’ he added. ‘If he’s fighting in February, I would love to fight him in May, but if he thinks I’m going to be sitting around until May twiddling my thumbs, he’s got another thing coming.

‘I’m not going to be doing that. I’m back in the gym, I’m in shape, let’s get it on. Let’s stop beating around the bush and waiting around.

Saunders has called out middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade to step up and face him

‘I’m going to get sick and tired of waiting around for one of these big fights. I’m getting to the stage that if a big fight doesn’t get made, “Thank you very much, see you later.”

‘I’m in it for the big fights to see how good I am. Andrade, if he moves up to 168, he jumps in front of everyone. The winner of us gets Canelo. It’s a brilliant plan, isn’t it? It works for DAZN. The winner of us fights Canelo.’

Saunders says he is expecting to discover next week whether a May fight with Canelo will be put into action, with the Mexican star also considering IBF champion Caleb Plant as a possible next opponent. 

The Brit is confident of knocking Andrade out and told Eddie Hearn to make the fight


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