Mark Tibbs believes Billy Joe Saunders has more than enough skill to beat Canelo
Stage one of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s (54-1-2, 36 KO’s) super middleweight invasion is complete. As planned, Alvarez roughed-up, disfigured and strong-armed Callum “Mundo” Smith (27-1, 19 KO’s) for his WBA super world super middleweight title. The redhead also picked up the vacant WBC world super middleweight strap. Yet, the Mexican’s endgame is to claim all four belts for undisputed status.
This leaves Caleb “Sweethands” Plant’s (20-0, 12 KO’s) IBF and “Superb” Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO world super middleweight titles still to be confiscated.
Both men had the opportunity to face Canelo in 2020 and each turned it down. Ironically, Plant and Saunders alike were unwilling to fight to the short notice given. So the golden ticket then fell to Mundo and the rest is history. With his first belt in hand, logically Alvarez should now try to make a deal with Superb or Sweethands. But which one?
WE THE BEST!!
Provided they get the nod, Saunders’ chief second Mark Tibbs is convinced they will walk away with the win. Tibbs is not discounting Alvarez’s abilities; he just believes Saunders is the man for the job. Having worked with him up close for so long, Tibbs cannot fathom of anything that Superb is lacking. And he told Pro Beez of Pep Talk UK, Tibbs knows that Saunders will rise to the occasion.
“Canelo is a pound for pound best out there as well, but he’s never met a Billy Joe Saunders. And if he keeps his consistency out of training camp, he’s going to find magic that he never knew he had! That’s all up to him at the end of the day, he’s playing a game. He’s playing a game and he’s a winner. His IQ is like on the level of Floy Mayweather, people like that, but he’s just got to be consistent with it.”
“…Billy Joe Saunders is leading the way and like I say, he is a genius masterful boxer and he can punch a bit as well. On the level of Canelo Alvarez, it’s going to be witty, is that the right word, witty? They are going to outwit each other. Billy Joe Saunders, I am very confident he can outwit and out-grit and he’s going to have the engine to do what he needs to do to get the win.”
GOTTA STEP IT UP!
However, one supreme maxim of war is remembering to always respect one’s adversaries. Mark Tibbs will certainly be mindful of this golden rule. Even with all his positivity regarding Saunders brimming over, he realizes that Alvarez is still a monster. No matter what tools Superb brings to the ring, he will have to use them like never before.
“Well you know we are going into battle to box out of our skin. You know he’s got to box out of his skin Billy Joe Saunders, he’s got to raise his game and box out of his skin. And like I said before, when and if he is up against anyone like that, like he was with [David] Lemieux, I wasn’t involved with him then.”
“But he felt like he was up against it, so he was on tender hooks so to speak and he boxed and fought out of his skin. And he will have to pull up another delivery of performance like that again, for sure he would. I’m confident that he can and he will.”
By: Bakari Simpson
