‘You are a f*cking p*ssy’: Boxing great Canelo hits back at Billy Joe Saunders’ mob in hotel flashpoints over size of ring (VIDEO)

Canelo Alvarez was unable to contain his feelings when he was goaded by opponent Billy Joe Saunders' entourage over their ring row at a hotel ahead of their fight on Saturday – labeling the Brit a "f*cking p*ssy" as he walked by.

Provocative Saunders threatened to fly home yesterday after his father, Tom, claimed that the sides had failed to reach an agreement over the size of the ring, which the Englishman wants to be as small as possible.

Saunders senior suggested that talks had broken down beyond repair despite his son agreeing to accept a ring 2ft smaller than the maximum 24ft size, adding that Canelo, who is likely to need the space less when he goes on the attack against a man known for making himself hard to hit through his movement, wants it to span 20ft.

Entering a hotel ahead of the fight in Texas on Saturday, pound-for-pound king Canelo was met by a less-than-charming lobbying committee."We've come a long way – grow some b*llocks," he was told by one member of team Saunders, standing from his seat in a pair of colorful shorts.

Warning: video contains swearing

As the Mexican made his way towards a lift with a large number of people, he turned and succinctly replied: "You are a f*cking p*ssy."

Just as Tom Saunders' comments were similar to a row led by Tyson Fury's father over the ring before the Brit beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, the hotel hostilities also appear to be a brazen attempt to turn up the tension of the kind that Saunders' heavyweight friend and stablemate has often been fond of.

In another behind-the-scenes altercation captured on camera, the Saunders mob could be seen loudly taunting Canelo as he walked past, shouting their fighter's name and promising that he would retain his titles despite facing one of the most feared punchers in the world on US soil.

Canelo turned round and offered a thumbs-down from a distance, at which point the same man who had offered him advice on the size of his genitals told him: "Hear me out, Canelo.

"We respect you, you are the champion – there's no need to be like that, come on. We just want fairness, that's all. I'm just asking him a question."

By that point, Canelo had disappeared around a corner, with the attendant security team preventing the protagonist from going any further.

The online response to the unedifying verbal volleys were mixed, doing little to back up the claims of Tom Saunders that fans should ask for refunds on fight tickets and pay-per-view subscriptions in light of the likelihood of the scrap being called off.

"I’ve never seen Canelo react like this, turning around and engaging in the taunting – especially when it’s not even his opponent, just his team," said one YouTube viewer.

"I agree mind games don’t normally work with Canelo, but I do feel like all this could have a small effect – you've seen it with Fury [against Klitschko] in Dusseldorf."

Another admitted: "As a Brit, this is cringing me out. This is just going to get Saunders a beating like he has never received before.

"It will come to a point where he will probably quit after six rounds for not being able to implement his skills and what he needs to do against Canelo. I can see canelo knocking him out in round nine or 10."

An apparently-satisfied Saunders shared footage on Instagram of the fracas alongside quotes by Canelo insisting that the ring issue has been resolved.