Saunders believes the Andrade bout would be a good fight and with both boxers on the same TV network, would be an easy one to get made. Hearn has also mentioned Gennady Golovkin in the past and GGG is another one in contention for a fight with Canelo after his own destructive performance against Kamil Szeremeta on Friday night.

Hearn revealed just how close Saunders had been to securing the fight with Alvarez earlier this month, when he stated they were one day away from the press conference to announce it when the Covid pandemic halted proceedings.

Smith took the Canelo title defence on four weeks’ notice and Saunders has explained why he was not willing to take a similar approach when boxing resumed after the summer.

Saunders told IFL TV: “We were about six weeks out and I had no training around me, no nutritionist around me and no proper gym around me or anything like that. I am not going to put myself into the firing line to undo everything I have ever done in boxing.

“If I get beaten by the better man then I go ‘well I did everything in my powers and I got beaten by the better man and he is a better man than me’. But I have been believing for so many years that I can beat Canelo.

“I believe in my heart that I have the tools to beat Canelo. So if I didn’t get in there and do it then it would be absolutely gutting to live with if I went in there just to pick a few quid up and hope to be alright.

“I need to make sure I am prepared to beat that man and I will.”