When Billy Joe Saunders fought Canelo Alvarez in May of 2021, the fight was the one that put a stop to his perfect record.
After getting hit with a strong uppercut in the eighth round, the former WBO super-middleweight champion’s camp made the decision to stop the fight because he suffered a broken orbital and cheek bone as a result of the blow. Before Alvarez landed the knockout punch, the fight was close and competitive with both men landing major punches. Alvarez’s knockout blow ended the fight.
Due to the damage that Billy Joe Saunders sustained during his fight with Canelo Alvarez, he was forced to take some time off from boxing. However, it would appear that he is getting closer to making a comeback, and he has mentioned the possibility of fighting before the year 2023 is up.
Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, was recently interviewed by iFL TV and revealed his opinions on the return of Billy Joe Saunders and who the 30-1 boxer could face in the upcoming year:
“Listen, from a business perspective, you should always go for the biggest fight. I am aware that he has aspirations of winning world titles, but when I think about the fight against Chris Eubank Jr., I think about the press conferences, I think about the build-up, and I think about the history.
Watch the video starting at 3:45 down below:
Both Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr. were competing for the European, British, and Commonwealth middleweight belts when they faced off in the ring almost ten years ago.
The fight was decided by a split decision, but both men have gone on to have fruitful careers since then. Saunders won. Since their battle, ‘Super’ has a record of 9-1, while Eubank Jr.’s record is 15-2.
Billy Joe Saunders says Chris Eubank Jr. will never be world champion
According to a recent interview that Simon Jordan had with Billy Joe Saunders, Saunders is of the opinion that Chris Eubank Jr. will never hold the title of world champion.
In the past, Eubank Jr. was the champion of both the IBO super-middleweight division as well as the WBA interim middleweight division. Due to the fact that the IBO is not recognized by boxing’s “big four” organizations (the WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC), ‘Next Gen’ may not be regarded as a real world champion by some.
Billy Joe Saunders, who had previously prevailed over Eubank Jr., provided an explanation for why he does not feel his fellow countryman will ever be able to win a world title:
Because I’ve sparred with him before, I know what to expect from him. Eubank is a skilled fighter, but he is not a boxer. That is the crux of the matter. He is capable of fighting, but he is not a boxer. When we were younger, between the ages of 24 and 25, we were like a wind-up toy. You could get him in shape, get him wound up, and then let him go, and he would be able to go all day. Now that we’ve reached the stage of 33 and 34, you need to learn how to pace yourself and pick and choose which battles you engage in.
