By: Hans Themistode
Some people believe it will be Caleb Plant. Others are under the impression that David Benavidez will be the one to get it done. A small contingent of fans speculates that Gennadiy Golovkin will eventually knock him off his high horse.
Regardless of how great any of those fighters are, promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t believe any of them have much of a chance against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. That said, he knows exactly who can get the job done.
“I’ll tell you one thing, if there’s anyone in the division that will beat or could beat Canelo Alvarez, I think it’s Billy Joe Saunders,” said Hearn during an interview with Fight Hub TV.
Hearn’s confidence in the WBO super middleweight titlist isn’t simply because of his undefeated record. No, having spent years watching Saunders over the course of his career, Hearn has witnessed the British product outbox opponents without seemingly breaking a sweat. That, and his tendency to not care who he’s facing on any night, is the reason why Hearn is firmly standing in his corner.
“He has the style and movement. He also has something different in his head, no fear. He’s an underdog in the fight of course but he’s a bit crazy. He won’t have fear and he’s slick.”
In just a few short months, Hearn will find out if he was spot on in his predictions, or if Alvarez will move one step closer to becoming the first undisputed super-middleweight of all time.
First things first however, Alvarez has to take care of business this Saturday night against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Florida. While most are expecting the Turkish native to get annihilated, Hearn believes he has more than just a puncher’s chance.
“With Yildirim, no fear, he’ll let his hands go but that’s very dangerous. Yildirim can punch and has plenty of heart and guts. I know he’s a massive underdog but he’s not coming to survive. He knows the only way to beat Canelo is to fight fire with fire.”
Still, even with Hearn singing his praises, the long-time promoter ultimately believes that at some point, Alvarez will score the knockout win which would then subsequently lead to a unification contest between Alvarez and of course, Saunders.
“When Canelo knocks him out, we’ll go in the ring and celebrate.”