Billy Joe Saunders hopes Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fight can happen this year

Billy Joe Saunders would have been fighting Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in Las Vegas last weekend for an estimated purse of $8 million had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the WBO supermiddleweight champion spent Saturday afternoon "playing cards on the farm with family" in Hertfordshire.

"I'm dealing with it and it is what it is... I just hope the country can get back to normal and I hope everyone stays safe," he told Telegraph Sport.

"The fights will come later in the year, but I'm staying in contact with my management MTK Global and I'm just trying to go on as many runs as possible and stay as fit and ready as I can."

Saunders hopes that the Canelo fight will still be a goer later in the year. "They’re keeping me informed. I know Eddie has to get a lot of dates together for fighters. I’ll let it go on through my management and they’ll get back to me. Less of a headache.

"At the minute the whole world has stopped, so it’s a bit easier to cope with," Saunders told Telegraph Sport. "It is what it is, you can’t moan on about it. Instead of fighting for the biggest prize in boxing in Canelo Alvarez, I’m sat down, chilling, playing cards on the farm. I dealt with it when it happened. It’s one of them, it’s completely out of control. Just got to get on with it, all you can do.”

Saunders also reiterated that he wants to donate to a domestic abuse charity after the incident which saw him pilloried several weeks ago. “It was one of those silly things I do. I’m sure the [Boxing Board] will do what they’re going to do, but whatever that is I’m still looking at domestic abuse foundations. I’d like to see the Board say ‘look, we won’t take it any further but we’ll let you put the video to good use’ because I obviously need to correct it and I will be making a donation.”

Saunders, and rival Briton Callum Smith, currently ranked No 1 supermiddleweight in the world, have also been called out in the last week by American Danny Jacobs, who is also promoted by Hearn.

“Danny is a great fighter and I’ve got a lot of respect to him. He just lost out on a big fight, same as me. He’s a great fighter, up there with the best, but he hasn’t got anything that interests me at the moment. He’s had his chances against Gennady Golovkin and Canelo. Let me have my chance. I’m sure Callum Smith will be up for the fight and I’m sure Eddie can make me and him.”