Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders meet in a super-middleweight title unification bout on Saturday in front of an expected record-breaking crowd of 70,000 people inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The winner becomes a three-belt 168-pound champion.
Before the two best super-middleweights in the world lock horns, they were feet away from each other at Thursday's press conference.
Unlike what happened on Wednesday when Alvarez and Saunders had to be separated by their respective teams, the 168-pound champions kept things respectful until an intense staredown to end the presser that saw the Englishman blow a kiss to the four-division champion from Mexico. They shook hands with Alvarez giving Saunders a chuckle before walking off the stage.
One of the storylines heading into the weekend is how Alvarez will fare against the slick lefty in Saunders. While victorious, Alvarez had a difficult time with Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara. Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) praised Saunders for the style he brings, but feels the past is the past, and that will be shown once they are inside the ring.
"He's a great fighter," Alvarez said to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. "I'm not the same fighter as 6-7 years ago... I'll show that on Saturday!"
For Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs), this is the fight he's been waiting for since he started boxing at the age of five. The 2008 Olympian says, unlike some previous Alvarez's foes, he's to do one thing and one thing only.
"I've been boxing all my life, I'm here for a reason, and that's to win! "
Here is what happened at the Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders press conferences.