Thursday 22 December 2016 17:09, UK
Billy Joe Saunders could defend his WBO world middleweight title against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in 2017 after the Mexican was confirmed as his mandatory challenger.
Alvarez, the current WBO light-middleweight champion after beating Liam Smith earlier this year, now has the option to box at the full middleweight limit for the first time.
The Mexican previously defeated Miguel Cotto to claim the vacant WBC middleweight belt, then knocked out Amir Khan, but both fights were contested at catch-weights below 160lbs.
Negotiations for a fight between Alvarez (48-1-1 KO34) and Saunders (24-0 KO12) are expected to resume over the coming weeks.
Widespread reports have suggested Alvarez is gearing up for a proposed bout with middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (36-0 KO33), who has previously been called out by the unbeaten Saunders.
Saunders, who is currently looking to appoint a new trainer to succeed Jimmy Tibbs, maintained his perfect record with a unanimous decision victory over Artur Akavov in Glasgow earlier this month.
