KEY POINTS

  • Canelo Alvarez is near to sealing a fight with Billy Joe Saunders this May
  • Alvarez plans ahead despite Yildirm clash in February
  • Caleb Plant may face Alvarez after Saunders

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is set to return to the ring next month, but it appears the Mexican boxer is already looking beyond that.

The word is out that a three-belt unification clash has been set for May, pitting Alvarez against WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders.

The bout is not yet official although the camps of Alvarez and Saunders have conditionally agreed to stage the fight, Boxingscene reported.

This will finally pit the two boxers after previous plans to hold it in 2020 fell apart due to COVID-19 complications.

A venue for the Alvarez vs. Saunders fight has yet to be named as well. However, the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is mentioned to be at the top of the list. Only a handful of fans are allowed to be in attendance.

Holding it in either Texas or Florida is an option and a lot of hinges on the governing COVID-19 situation.

This development comes not long after another Alvarez target, Caleb Plant, was announced to be taking on Caleb Truax.

The unbeaten and reigning IBF champion locks horns with Truax this weekend in Los Angeles, hoping to get a shot at Alvarez next in a title unification bout, ESPN reported.

For Alvarez, there is the business to take care of in February. He is set to face Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The Mexican needs to hurdle the mandatory challenger first before worrying about his fight with Saunders, which is likely to be held either May 1 or 8, surrounding the Cinco De Mayo holiday, The Athletic reported.

Alvarez is unsurprisingly the heavy favorite to prevail over the Turkish pug. Je is a -5000 betting favorite to win, while Yildirim is the +1400 underdog.

Critics are not giving the 29-year-old much of a chance although the camp of Yildirim promises to come up with a better showing compared to Callum Smith.

Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez wears a hat with "Canelo Alvarez 4X Champ" printed on it as he celebrates in the ring with with his team after his 11th-round knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev in their WBO light heavyweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 2, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images | Ethan Miller

Alvarez dominated Smith last Dec. 19 to hack out a unanimous decision win, rewarding him with the WBA, The Ring and WBC super middleweight titles.

Saunders also saw action this past December, winning via unanimous decision over Martin Murray in England to retain the WBO super middleweight belt.