The most marketable name in boxing is back for another Cinco de Mayo weekend fight. Although May 5 is smack dab in the middle of the work week in 2021, Canelo Alvarez has decided to have a big fight even though he last entered the ring a little more than two months ago. Alvarez (55-1-2 with 37 KOs) will face a much tougher opponent this time, as he takes on Billy Joe Saunders. Saunders (30-0 with 14 KOs) is the current WBO super middleweight champion.
Canelo’s fights are typically the biggest promotions in boxing each year, so it’s only fitting that over 60,000 fans will be in attendance for this bout. That will make it the biggest sporting event in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country last March.
Alvarez vs. Saunders will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2021 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The main card will start at 8 p.m. ET with Alvarez and Saunders expected to make their ring walks at approximately 11 p.m. ET. This card will be available through DAZN.
When:
Saturday, May 8, 2021
Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Why: WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles
Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders Betting Odds
Canelo Alvarez -726
Billy Joe Saunders +506
Total Rounds 10.5
Alvarez’s betting odds have ballooned over the last week. He was around a -550 favorite in late April, but we have seen a lot of money come in on the current WBA, WBC, and the Ring super middleweight champion in recent days. Saunders is a worthy opponent, so the odds won’t get too lopsided in favor of the favorite.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders Preview
Alvarez has been a machine during his professional career. This will be his 59th fight although he is 30 years old, making him one of the most seasoned boxers of this era.
He won his first major belt a little more than a decade ago. Alvarez beat Matthew Hatton by unanimous decision to win the WBC light middleweight title in March 2011. From there, a star was born as he successfully defended the belt six times before facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the first megafight of his career. Alvarez was outclassed from the opening bell, suffering the lone loss of his career.
We saw Alvarez move up to beat Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan in order to win the WBC and The Ring middleweight belts. Those wins helped set up major fights with Gennady Golovkin to unify the middleweight division, and Alvarez won a majority decision in the second fight after settling for a draw in the first bout. Many observers will tell you that GGG probably won at least one (if not both) fights, but Alvarez has been a favorite of judges during his career.
Alvarez has left no doubt about who the better boxer was in his last five fights though. He moved up to super middleweight and easily defeated Rocky Fielding by third-round TKO for the WBA strap. He then proved he can still rule the middleweight division with a unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs and made the jump to light heavyweight for his fourth belt in a different division six months later. Neither Callum Smith nor Avni Yildirim put up much of a fight in the last six months either.
Saunders won the WBO middleweight belt by majority decision over Andy Lee back in December 2015. He successfully defended the strap against Artur Akavov the following December, and he defended the title twice more with unanimous decision victories before making the jump to super middleweight.
We saw him win a unanimous decision victory over Shefat Isufi for the WBO super middleweight title two years ago, and he defended that belt with an 11th round KO of Marcelo Esteban Coceres and a unanimous decision win over Martin Murray last December.
Saunders does not have a ton of power, but his technique has been great. That’s why if he wins, it will probably be by some sort of decision.
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