By Steve Kim
Earlier today, Golden Boy Promotions officially announced their pay-per-view undercard for September 17th, for the event that is headlined by WBO 154-pound titlist Liam Smith defending his crown against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (47-1-1, 33KOs) from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The hope was that WBO middleweight belt-holder Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12KOs) would defend his belt against Gabe Rosado, with the winner being guaranteed a shot at Alvarez - should he come out victorious - in December. But instead Saunders bypassed on the opportunity for whatever reason.
With that, Rosado will now face former middleweight title challenger Willie Monroe Jr, as the semi-main event on this card.
"It's two guys that are championship quality and it's a do-or-die fight for either guy," stated Eric Gomez, the Sr. Vice President of Golden Boy.
"Rosado is coming off a couple of good wins and Willie Monroe's a good fighter, he was giving (Gennady) Golovkin a run for his money for a few rounds. It's a 50-50 fight."
As for the hope that Saunders will come to the table and possibly face Alvarez later this year, Gomez said - "The door's open and we're going to see if we can get something done. We haven't stopped communication, so we'll see."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com
