NO ONE had a better view of the damage Billy Joe Saunders took on Saturday night than Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican realised at once that the Briton would not be able to fight on past their eighth round at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
โItโs hard because I saw when he broke his cheekbone and I went back to the corner and I told Eddy [Reynoso, his trainer] that I didnโt think he could continue. When you break your cheekbone you can risk your life and you canโt continue that way,โ Alvarez said. โI knew what I did with that punch.โ
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Saunders would undergo surgery Sunday. Itโs thought that Saundersโ eye socket broke in three places.
The build up to the fight had been fractious, with the camps quarrelling over the size of the ring. Alvarez settled all doubts by allowing Billy Joe the 22 foot ring heโd requested and by scoring the stoppage that Canelo himself had predicted. With the win Alvarez added the WBO belt to the WBC and WBA super-middleweight titles he already held. ย
โIn the end the facts speak louder than words. Iโve been in big fights, I just had to stay focused, do my job,โ Canelo reflected. โI love boxing and this is what I love to do.โ
โNot much [further] to say, heโs a great fighter,โ Alvarez added. โIโm glad he took the fight and weโre going to continue to make history.
โRight now Iโm really happy with what we have achieved and now Iโm going to celebrate with my family. You already know what I want, hopefully we can get that fight going so I can unify the titles.โ
It is a good day then to be Caleb Plant. The American holds the IBF belt, the last super-middleweight title the Mexican superstar needs to add to his collection. That is the fight Alvarez wants next. If Plant is amenable, the negotiations ought not to be overly complex. Alvarez is a free agent and can choose the broadcaster for his next fight. The FOX network and streaming service DAZN are both expected to make โhugeโ bids for it.
โHeโs free to make the fights he wants to make where he wants those fights to happen. So for me I think itโs a very straightforward process and I think that process should start immediately and I donโt see any complications with his position,โ Eddie Hearn said.
โWe have this goal now, thatโs the short term goal, hopefully we can make that fight happen. If that fight doesnโt happen then hopefully we can continue to make history in other ways,โ Alvarez noted.
One person whom Canelo wonโt be fighting next is Demetrius Andrade. That didnโt stop the American from gatecrashing Alvarezโs post-fight press conference to try to talk up a fight for himself. Andrade is an alphabet champion; he holds the WBOโs middleweight belt but hasnโt fought anyone close to being regarded as the number one in the division.
Canelo shook his head at Andrade’s intervention and laughed. โYou fight with nobody,โ he said. โGet the f**k out of here.โ
Watch the replay on DAZN. Available for only ยฃ1.99 in the UK
Security had to expel an agitated Andrade from the press conference.
Alvarez is determined to become Mexicoโs first undisputed champion in the four-belt era. This latest unification triumph was a spectacular occasion in front of 73,000 supporters, an indoor record for boxing in the US.
โI happy and grateful with the fans, happy to come back to normal and break records. Even in a pandemic they came out and supported me and Iโm really grateful for that,โ Canelo said. โItโs beautiful to fight here, itโs beautiful to fight in Texas, the people support me a lot and Iโm really thankful for that.
โIโm going to continue to make history and represent my country.โ