Canelo vs. Saunders, Taylor vs. Ramirez could make for special May
Boxing fans could be in for an exciting May.
Canelo Alvarez’s title-unification fight with Billy Joe Saunders is expected to take place on May 8, assuming the Mexican star defeats underdog Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27.
Another tentative title-unification showdown, between junior welterweight beltholders Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez, also was targeted for May 8 but reportedly will be pushed back a week or two to avoid competition with the sport’s biggest star.
Taylor and Ramirez have yet to finalize their meeting.
Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) has said he wants to unify all four major 168-pound titles this year, which is why he has agreed to fight Saunders. Caleb Plant, the other beltholder, could be next.
Boxing Junkie’s No. 2 fighter pound-for-pound is coming off a wide decision over Callum Smith to win two major super middleweight titles on Dec. 19.
Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) easily outpointed Martin Murray in December, the Briton’s most-recent fight.
Meanwhile, Taylor vs. Ramirez is about as good as it gets, a 50-50 fight between two prime young stars.
Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) won his title by outpointing Ivan Baranchyk in May 2019 and followed with a majority-decision victory over Regis Prograis to unify two titles five months later. The Scot last fought on Sept. 26, when he stopped Apinun Khongsong in the first round.
Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) won a vacant 140-pound title by easily outpointing Amir Iman in March 2018 and has successfully defended four times, including a sixth-round knockout of Maurice Hooker that earned him a second belt in July 2019.
The former U.S. Olympian defeated Viktor Postol by a majority decision in his most-recent fight, over Viktor Postol in August.