boxing

Canelo to Headline May Fight at Texas Stadium; Capacity Set at More Than 60,000

Promoters say the event is expected to be the most highly-attended sporting event in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canelo Alvarez celebrates after knocking out Liam Smith, lower, during the WBO Junior Middleweight World fight at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 17, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.
Omar Vega/LatinContent via Getty Images

Super middleweight titleholder Canelo Alvarez will headline a May fight in Arlington in which more than 60,000 fans will be allowed into AT&T Stadium, venue officials say.

Promoters said the event is expected to be the most highly-attended sporting event in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mexico's Alvarez (55-1-2) will take on Billy Joe Saunders (30-0), from the United Kingdom, in a bout to unify the super-middleweight belts. Alvarez holds the WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine titles, while Saunders is the WBO champion.

The fight is slated for May 8, the weekend after Cinco de Mayo, a weekend on which Alvarez has fought several times in his career, including in 2012, 2014-17 and 2019. ESPN.com reported last year that Golden Boy Promotions planned to schedule a May 2 fight for Alvarez, before it was postponed by the pandemic.

Alvarez fought at AT&T Stadium in 2016 when he defeated Liam Smith in a junior middleweight bout.

"We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude as we welcome back Canelo Alvarez to AT&T Stadium to take on Billy Joe Saunders," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup taking place in Arlington on May 8."

Alvarez has fought three other times in Texas in his career -- once in Houston and twice in San Antonio. His lone loss came in 2013 at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale Tuesday and open to the general public Friday, March 26.

The Texas Rangers announced earlier this month that Globe Life Field would open to full capacity on Opening Day -- April 5 -- and for two exhibition games March 29-30. The capacity at the Rangers' new home is 40,300.

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