FRISCO, Texas – Eddie Hearn remains uncertain which of the fighters he promotes will face Canelo Alvarez next.
There have been days recently when Hearn was sure Billy Joe Saunders would get that career-high payday. As recently as Tuesday, though, Hearn was convinced Callum Smith would square off against Alvarez next.
Hearn seems surest that no potential opponent other than Saunders or Smith will secure that high-profile assignment against the Mexican superstar. Either English champion would afford Alvarez an opportunity to win another super middleweight world title, as Saunders holds the WBO 168-pound crown and Smith owns the WBA belt in that division.
Alvarez is expected to return to the ring May 2, likely in Las Vegas.
“They met yesterday and today – DAZN, Canelo and Golden Boy,” Hearn told BoxingScene.com following the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas press conference Wednesday at the Omni Frisco Hotel. “One day, Billy Joe’s the frontrunner. The next day, Callum Smith’s the frontrunner. Both guys are there. They know the numbers for both guys. The reality is Golden Boy, the promoter, will want the one who takes the least amount of money. Canelo and [trainer] Eddy Reynoso will want the one that they want, because it don’t affect his money. Do you know what I mean?
“So, they’re negotiating with both guys, trying to get the money down and see who’ll take less. It’s not a great position [for me], because I’ve got both guys. And Billy Joe is almost at a point now where he’s like, ‘I’m ruling myself out.’ I’m like, ‘Billy, it’s May the 2nd. They’ve gotta decide this week.’ They have to. It’s nine weeks from Saturday.”
Boxing Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) or Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) also would give Alvarez a chance to strengthen his claim as a four-division champion.
Alvarez, who has won world titles at junior middleweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, knocked out England’s Rocky Fielding (28-2, 16 KOs) in the third round to capture the WBA’s secondary super middleweight title in December 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Smith, who had stopped Fielding in the first round three years before Alvarez defeated him, is commonly considered the WBA’s real champion at 168 pounds.
The 29-year-old Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) would be heavily favored to beat Saunders or Smith, each of whom is coming off an unimpressive performance.
The 30-year-old Saunders trailed on one scorecard when the southpaw knocked down Argentina’s Marcelo Coceres (28-1-1, 15 KOs) three times and stopped him in the 11th round November 9 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 29-year-old Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) struggled at times en route to defeating England’s John Ryder (28-5, 16 KOs) comfortably on all three scorecards November 23 at Echo Arena in Liverpool.
“Right now, it probably could be either one of them,” Hearn said. “Yesterday, it was probably Callum Smith who had the better chance. Two days before, it looked like it would’ve been Billy Joe.
“I’m expecting calls tonight to say, ‘We’ve met. Will this guy take this?’ Or, ‘Will this guy take that?’ But I can’t see it being anyone else, other than them two, unless I’m missing something.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.