In the latest news surrounding the big anticipated Cinco De Mayo fight for Canelo Alvarez, it’s Billy Joe Saunders who now appears to be the frontrunner to land the bout. Originally it appeared that Canelo was going to take on Ryoto Murata in Japan, but those negotiations fell apart, and then things took an even stranger turn when Callum Smith turned down a career-high payday to face Canelo.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said that both Smith and Billy Joe Saunders, both of whom he promotes, were holding out for better offers, and admitted that the fighter willing to take the least amount of money was likely to get the fight. Well, according to Mike Coppinger, it seems that a Saunders fight is looking increasingly likely. Coppinger reports that negotiations between Canelo and Saunders are now about 95% completed, with the only remaining obstacle being Saunders’ guaranteed minimum.

Sources: Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders haven’t agreed to terms yet, but they’re about 95% there, and the sides are determined to finalize a deal this week for a May 2 super middleweight title fight on DAZN. The hold-up: a discrepancy with Saunders’ minimum in his contract — Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 18, 2020

Coppinger also commented that Smith has priced himself out of the fight, effectively eliminating him from consideration at this point. And as we expected, a formal announcement on Canelo’s next outing should be made soon with May just around the corner.