Billy Joe Saunders Withdraws from Alvarez Opponent Options
Despite being one of the leading candidates to get the call, WBO world super middleweight champion “Superb” Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14 KO’s) has withdrawn from the Canelo sweepstakes. It’s a well-known fact that WBA super world middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO’s) has been searching high and low for his next in-ring foe.
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, it looked as if Saunders was going to get the call. However, the new protocols that were put in place quickly crushed any hope of the would-be May 2 dust-up. Now, Team Alvarez is on the hunt for a September 12 dance partner. Yet, Superb assures that whoever it is, it will not be him.
PASSING THE BALL
For Saunders, the decision to pass on this huge opportunity boiled down to what he felt would be a lack of preparation. Along with stripping fights of the in-arena audience members, COVID-19 protocols have significantly limited, or all-out eliminated, countless fighters’ ability to spar. Regrettably, Saunders was one of those unlucky individuals who fell into that category.
Minus the ability to properly prepare himself for such a tremendously important showdown, the UK wildcard felt it’d be a silly move to proceed any further. So, rather than continue to waste anyone’s time further, Billy Joe Saunders simply removed himself from the current list of potential adversaries.
“I’m not ready [in] September. You can say to me, ‘Billy Joe, a billion pounds, but you’re not ready and you’re going to get beat.’ I would say keep it. Let me get ready, let me win and I will fight for free. I’m nobody’s stepping stone. I’m not another belt for Canelo. They want to try mind games; that don’t work with me, I play the biggest mind games in British boxing.”
“Would I like [Canelo’s] business? I would love it. Do I need his business? No, I don’t… If they think they’re going to cut my money and cut me short, that’s not going to happen. Considering he’s getting $35 million, they come to me for a pay cut in September? They want to get short notice and a pay cut. Why not him take a pay cut?”
With the clock ticking and his list of would-be foes shrinking, it will be very interesting to see who Canelo locks horns with next! Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing.com for all the latest boxing news and updates.
By: Bakari Simpson
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