Billy Joe Saunders remains a possibility to make his 2016 debut on the Sept. 17 undercard of Canelo Alvarez-Liam Smith on HBO PPV at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Saunders’ reps and Golden Boy are locked in talks to bring the WBO middleweight titleholder stateside in September, Golden Boy VP Eric Gomez told RingTV.com.

“We are in talks, trying to make it happen,” Gomez said in a phone interview. “Now that we’re back from this (press) tour (for Canelo and Smith in Texas and England) — now we can start going over the undercard and the details to see if we can get it done. As of right now, everything is up in the air. If we can make a deal, he’ll be on the card. We are in talks right now. We’re going to try and make it happen.”

No opponent has been mentioned yet if he does appear on Sept. 17. Gomez called a potential matchup between Alvarez and Britain’s Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) a “possibility” for down the road, especially since Alvarez plans to move up to 160 pounds for his next fight in preparation for an eventual showdown with unified middleweight champion, Gennady Golovkin.

Saunders, a southpaw, hasn’t fought since he won a majority decision against former titleholder Andy Lee last December. Saunders was scheduled to defend his title in April against Max Bursak but pulled out with a left hand injury. Saunders has repeatedly said on social media he’s returning on Sept. 17.

“Canelo is headed to 160, so we’re trying to do as many middleweight fights as we can,” Gomez said. “But it’s too early to say (if he’ll fight Saunders after Smith). We’re taking this fight very seriously with Liam Smith. He’s no pushover. He’s a tough kid. He’s a big, strong guy. He’s got a chin. He’s relentless. We’re not taking this fight lightly. But we’ll see if we can make a deal with Saunders and if not we’ll look at some other middleweights.”

Photo: Frank Warren Promotions