According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders will not be part of the Canelo Alvarez – Liam Smith card, due to turning down various opponents.
“I was working hard with Frank to make this deal, and it was going well, but Saunders is not going to be on the card now,” said Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez.. “We tried to make it happen. We offered him reasonable opponents, and he said no. We thought it would have been great to have Saunders and Canelo on the same card before a possible fight between them. But now we are moving on.
“Even though Saunders won’t be on the Sept. 17 card, we have not closed the door to still trying to make the fight for December. I’m not sure what else Saunders wants to do, but this was a great opportunity, and Frank knew it. Anyway, the fight with Canelo could still happen at some point.”
One of the opponents that Saunders turned down was Gabriel Rosado
“I signed my contract a week ago,” Rosado said. “From what I hear, Saunders wanted an easier fight. They didn’t want to fight me. The WBO champ [is] acting like a coward.”
Saunders’ response to heavy criticism for rejecting the various opponents came on social media.
“Don’t believe everything you’re told,” he said. “I’ll be in the ring very soon.”