‘The fight’s OFF!’: Billy Joe Saunders’ dad insists his son will not fight Canelo Alvarez this weekend – before he fails to show for face-off – with the Brit unhappy about the size of the ring being used in Dallas for eagerly-anticipated bout
- Billy Joe Saunders’ dad has said they will walk away from Canelo Alvarez fight
- They are furious with the size of the ring that Matchroom Sport want to use
- Saunders’ team want 24-foot but it’s claimed Matchroom wanted an 18-foot ring
- The pair are due to meet at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night
- Watch Canelo vs Billy Joe Saunders live on DAZN for £1.99
Billy Joe Saunders reinforced his threat to pull out of the biggest fight of his life by failing to appear for a contracted face off with Canelo Alvarez.
Saunders insists he will fly home immediately unless Canelo agrees to a ring much larger than the one stipulated here for Saturday night’s world middleweight title unification fight.
An 18-foot ring is customary in Texas but Saunders, whose main hope of defeating the world’s best boxer is to maximise his elusiveness, is demanding a 24-footer.
Billy Joe Saunders is threatening to pull out of his fight against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday
Saunders’ dad Tom has said negotiations have broken down and the fight is now off
As the row raged on Saunders made good his threat not not to face off with Alvarez for pre-fight pictures in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and his father Tom said: ‘As of now the fight’s off.’
Saunders added: ‘I’m doing nothing unless the ring issue is settled.’
Saunders’ dad told iFL TV: ‘I can’t say them coming face to face because the issue with the ring has still not been sorted.
‘There is nothing in the contract about the ring size, it’s all about negotiations and negotiations have broken down big time.
‘Canelo has put an 18-foot ring, which I think is an amateur ring, as the fight ring. His plan was to put an 18-foot ring there, knowing we were going to start [complaining] and he said right, 20-foot ring, that was his game plan.
‘We wanted a 24-foot ring but we’ve come down to a 22-foot inside ring. Basically they are trying to take BJ’s legs away. We’re up against everything here and at the end of the day I’m not going to let my son box in a 20-foot ring against the supposed pound-for-pound king of boxing.
Canelo and Saunders are due to face off in mega super-middleweight showdown live on DAZN
‘We’re up against everything here and we’ve spoken to them this morning. They’ve said it’s either a 20-foot ring or book your flights home.
‘Unfortunately people, we apologise to all the fans, I can’t let my son box in a 20-foot ring against Canelo on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
‘We’ve given into a lot of stuff but this we can’t given in to. The fight will not be fair… the fight’s off.’
Would he really walk away from the mega-fight with Canelo he has been chasing most of his career and the biggest purse of his life.
Not only would he forfeit a reported £7.2million pay night but he would face losing many millions more in law suits for compensation. Perhaps even find himself paying Canelo’s £21.6m loss of a night’s earnings.
Floyd Mayweather has been the only man ever to inflict defeat on the Mexican sensation
Maybe this is just Billy Joe mind games. If so Alvarez looked unperturbed as he posed alone in front of the giant screens inside the AT&T Stadium.
When asked about the English absentee Canelo, relaxed and smiling, said:, ‘I’m doing my share of the media work as per our contracts. Me, I will fight anyone, anywhere.’
Saunders has been angered by a number of issues. He won his argument for one English judge to be appointed. He claimed he had been robbed by agreeing to his purse before being told there would be 70,000 paying fans.
As for the latest hiatus, a 24-foot ring would be bigger than any Saunders has fought in before.
The really worry is whether he is becoming unnerved as this huge occasion draws closer.
Watch Canelo vs Billy Joe Saunders live on DAZN for £1.99