17 July 2020

Jason Quigley believes there is a ‘high possibility’ he secures the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight

Irish boxer Jason Quigley feels there is a ‘high possibility’ he’ll fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in September.

Canelo, 29, is widely-regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world having not lost since his defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2013.

Canelo beat light-heavyweight Sergey Kovalev in his last fight (Tass/PA Images)

He was scheduled to take on Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders back in May before the coronavirus pandemic scuppered those plans.

And with Saunders now ruling himself out of a re-scheduled bout in September, Quigley looks best-placed to step in and take the opportunity.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Turning professional on July 12, on the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on the Canelo-Lara undercard, and now look at us.

"A few years on and I'm possibly going to be fighting Canelo Alvarez. It's been a crazy career for me. It's been an enjoyable one, there's been a lot of ups and downs.

"But it's a high possibility now. Golden Boy and my Sheer Sports Management team have been in touch with me. They have offered me the fight, to fight Canelo Alvarez, and it's all there.

"We're just waiting now for the possibility. Of course, there's other boxers that could possibly be getting the fight as well. But I have been asked, 'would I take the fight?' 100 per cent, I said 'yes.'

"I want to get in with the best in the world. Canelo Alvarez is the best out there at the minute, he's the face of boxing, and I want to get in there and I want to see how good he really is, and give him everything I've got, if it all comes off."

The only blemish on Quigley’s record is the one defeat he suffered to Tureano Johnson in July last year when he could not continue after the ninth round.

Saunders was due to take on Canelo before the coronavirus pandemic but has now said he will not be ready to face the Mexican in September (PA)

Meanwhile, Saunders’ promoter Eddie Hearn recently said he felt Canelo’s team may look for a cheap opponent in September due to the event having to take place without a crowd.

He said: "A cheaper opponent generally means a fight that fans aren’t interested in. So we’ve got to get the balance right.

“People have all got to understand that we’ve got to dig in right now and do our bit. It doesn’t mean that you should fight for money that you don’t feel presents your value, but you have to understand that in this moment in time, things have changed and we all need to get back on our feet and move forward collectively as a team."

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