Billy Joe Saunders and Canelo Alvarez in dispute over ring size for Saturday unification

UPDATE (5:50 pm ET): Saunders is now saying the issue is settled.

It’s fight week for the super middleweight title unification between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders and naturally tensions are running high. So high, in fact, that we’re only days away from the big fight and there’s still details of the fight that are being argued over — right now regarding the size of the ring in Texas.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Saunders had this to say about being ambushed by a small ring that he doesn’t approve of.

“For me, that’s just unacceptable. I want a 24’ ring and they’re saying it’s not gonna happen and it is what it is. But I’ve left it to my team and I’m sure they’ll solve it — otherwise there won’t be any fight. You can’t just fly me in here and show me the ring that we’re using and I’ve been training all of my camp in a 24’ ring. It’s a unification fight, not a British title. It’s like someone training on the 200m running track and someone training on the 400m running track — there’s a big difference.”

How to Watch Canelo vs Saunders

Date: Saturday, May 8 | Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Location: AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
Streaming: DAZN
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com

Representative from both sides are currently in the midst of negotiating a compromise on the ring size for Saturday’s fight and we should know soon whether or not this proves to be a deal-breaker.