Eddie Hearn gives opponent update for Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith

Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith are likely to fight before the end of 2020 and it won't be against each other as Canelo Alvarez links continue to fight pound-for-pound No.1

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Billy Joe Saunders are likely to make their ring return before the end of 2020, not facing each other but the possibility of fighting Canelo Alvarez still exists if he can resolve his dispute with DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions.

Both Saunders and Smith are yet to fight since the rise of the global pandemic, and several rumours have linked the two Britons together including a potential bumper domestic clash between the two Matchroom fighters to unify the WBA and WBO middleweight world titles.

However the possibility of this bout has now been scuppered with both fighters requiring more time to prepare for a fight of that magintude, and a large number of PPV fights being scheduled before the end of the year.

Eddie Hearn discussed the possibility initially but believes it cannot happen this year, and believes that the two middleweight champions will take other fights to remove ring-rust and gain traction back from their extended period out of the ring.

He told IFL TV: "We’re going pay-per-view October 31, pay-per-view November 21 and pay-per-view December 12. That’s a lot of pay-per-views. So there’s just no room for another pay-per-view. Couple that in with no crowd and it’s impossible that fight.”

“If Canelo turns round and sorts out his situation he’s gonna fight this year and he wants to fight one of them two. So we’ll see, but we’re not reliant on that anymore. We’re gonna move forward and make our own decisions.

“For Callum, if he doesn’t get Canelo, until crowds come back and there’s a PPV slot to fight Billy Joe Saunders, he needs to have another fight."

With the WBC initially demanding that Canelo fight Avni Yildirim for the vacant title, Hearn has revealed that Callum Smith would explore the possibility of unifying the WBA with the WBC belt and taking this as an option before the end of the year to become unified champion and raise the stakes, should a clash with Saunders materialise in 2021.

"What we really want is to fight Yildirim in a unification for the WBC and the WBA. That’s essentially what we’ve been promised and what we’ve been writing to [WBC president] Mauricio Sulaiman about for the last couple of weeks. We believe it should be Callum Smith aganinst Yildirim for the title and Callum Smith’s been trying to win that WBC title for years.

“It means a lot to him so hopefully Mauricio agrees with us and we can make that fight – subject to Canelo not fighting him, which I don’t believe he will. In an ideal world it’ll be Callum Smith fighting Yildirim, probably in December, and then Billy Joe Saunders defending, probably November 28, and then maybe it’s a three-belt fight next.”

In the case of Saunders, Hearn listed a range of possible opponents for the near future, and is confident that a deal can be done so that the British public can see 'Superb' take to the ring as soon as possible.

He said: "[Fedor] Chudinov, Martin Murray, Rocky Fielding? John Ryder would be a great fight, I’m not sure that’ll happen. I think John will take his WBA final eliminator shot.People are always gonna moan, so I’d rather a Brit got the opportunity, especially at this time when travel restrictions are in place and we can make things a lot easier.

“And you can get a Brit who can go out and try and win a world title by beating Billy Joe Saunders.”

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