WBA, WBC and The Ring super-middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is in for a hard night's work when he battles WBO 168lbs kingpin Billy Joe Saunders in a huge winner-takes-all fight on May 8, says the Mexican's trainer Eddy Reynoso.
Reynoso has helped oversee Canelo's rise to one of the, if not the, absolute best in the sport today, pound for pound. Alvarez aims to unify the entire division, and to so he must end the unbeaten record of Saunders on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
“The fight with Saunders will be really complicated,” Reynoso told Boxing Scene. “He works his legs really well. He throws good combinations, and he has good defense. He fights hard. I think it’s gonna be a good fight.”
Canelo (55-1-2, 37 KOs) is making up for lost time, fighting for the third time in five months after dethroning Callum Smith in December and obliterating hapless mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February.
Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) last fought before both of those fights, outpointing Martin Murray and sending him into retirement in early December in a title defence.
Canelo has found southpaws difficult in the past, but is currently on one of the sport's hottest runs of form.
“He’s a good fighter,” Alvarez said of Saunders in a previous interview with the outlet. “He’s a hard fighter. He’s a southpaw and he likes to talk. But we’re gonna be ready for him, and I’m gonna train to be ready for him. I’m very motivated. Getting the titles motivates me very much.”
Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders airs live, Saturday May 8, on DAZN in much of the world. To check whether DAZN carries the fight in your country, click here.