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Mark Tibbs, head trainer for WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, feels confident that his boxer can pull off a major upset when he faces WBC, WBA champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
The two boxers are scheduled to collide on May 8th, with the location to be determined.
Tibbs recently returned to the corner of Saunders, who parted ways with Ben Davison last year.
“As soon as I got back involved with Billy Joe Saunders for the [Martin] Murray fight, I recognized immediately the maturity in his body and in his strength and also in his thinking,” Tibbs told the Betfred Boxing Show.
“He’s always been strong-minded and he’s always been a phenomenal trainer but he needs to be reminded he’s a slick, free-thinking fighter and we couldn’t take that away from him in any way. He knows he’s got the intelligence and knowhow, stylistically, to take on someone like Canelo Alvarez.”
Saunders, a very elusive southpaw when he’s on his game, is vowing to enter this contest at 100%.
There are several strategies that Saunders and Tibbs are reviewing for use in the contest.
“We can box around, we can diffuse and take away power and exploit areas. There’s another way of fighting. Billy Joe can, and perhaps he will do, diffuse them missiles and exploit the openings, and set traps ourselves, make him fall short, encourage him to swing,” Tibbs said.
“It’s all about boxing, outfoxing, chipping and clipping. It’s about pulling off a perfect game plan and I believe Billy Joe Saunders will do that on May 8th.”
Canelo was in action this past Saturday night in Miami, Florida. He battered WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim for a three round stoppage in a very one-sided fight.