Saunders fury over ‘phone box’ ring size

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — British boxer Billy Joe Saunders on Wednesday threatened to withdraw from his super middleweight title unification clash with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez after blasting the size of the ring set up at the fight venue in Texas.

Saunders is set to face off against Mexican star Alvarez at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday in front of 60,000 fans — the biggest crowd at a US sporting event since the pandemic began.

However, Saunders slammed the dimensions of the ring that has been set up at the venue, claiming each side measures only 16-18 feet, substantially smaller than the 24-foot ring he had been expecting.

"The problem is I come over here and they try to chuck me in a phone box of a boxing ring," Saunders told Britain's Talksport radio in an interview.

"People say stuff to get under people's skin and under camp's skin, but (the stadium) is hundreds and hundreds of feet long and they want to stick a 16 to 18 (foot) ring in the middle of it.

"For me, that's just unacceptable. I want a 24 foot 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."