Fight fans may have read how reigning WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders issued world ruler Gennady Golovkin an ultimatum: sign to fight me by the end of this week or I move on to another fight. Well, Saunders’ promoter Frank Warren, in speaking with ESPN, has extended the deadline to the end of next week.
Like his fighter, though, Warren insists there will be no waiting game employed with this fight.
Billy Joe Saunders, the reigning and undefeated WBO middleweight champion, has been teasing fans over who he could fight next. Speaking first with BoxNation and then iFL TV, the southpaw said that although he cannot say too much, his next fight – one that is practically signed and sealed – will be a “mega-fight, against the best of the best.”
In one the more poorer performances we’ve seen from WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (24-0, 12 KOs), he was forced to dig deep to beat fringe contender Artur Akavov (16-2, 7 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision tonight at the Paisley Lagoon Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Saunders fought well enough to win between four to six rounds on this writer’s scorecards, but definitely not to deserve the victory.
WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders has endured some disappointing and frustrating year here in 2016. Fans have lost count of the number of postponements the unbeaten southpaw has experienced since his last fight – an impressive decision win over Andy Lee last December – but the number has just risen by one; as it has been announced how this Saturday’s defence against Russian challenger Artur Akavov has been delayed yet again.
Queensberry Promotions received news today that WBO World Middleweight Champion, Billy Joe Saunders had suffered a muscle injury and would be unable to defend against Artur Akavov on 22nd October at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena. Unfortunately, on the same day British Super-Welterweight Champion, Liam Williams also suffered an injury in sparring that prevents him from defending his British title against Ahmet Patterson on the same bill.
Unbeaten middleweight Billy Joe Saunders, holder of the WBO belt, says it’s time to “find out how good I am.” Next up, the talented southpaw will meet Russian unknown Artur Akakov, in what will be Saunders’ first fight of 2016. Next up afterwards, as long as he comes through with belt safely in hand, will be a mega-fight against either Saul Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin.
This is the word according to promoter Frank Warren, who told Sky Sports how Saunders will meet one of these two juggernauts in his next fight, as long as he beats the once-beaten Akakov.
Undefeated WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (23-0 12 KOs) will make the first defence of his title against Russia’s Artur Akavov (16-1 7 KOs) on Frank Warren’s mouth-watering October 22 Motorpoint Arena Cardiff show, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
Last December, Saunders defeated Irish hero Andy Lee to take his WBO crown in a close and absorbing fight in Manchester that saw the Hatfield star floor the former champion twice in the third round and go on to claim a majority decision from the judges.
It’s no secret that middleweight king Gennady Golovkin wants two things more than anything else as far as his boxing career is concerned: a mega-fight with Saul Alvarez, and to own all the major middleweight belts. The Alvarez fight will have to wait (probably until next September at the earliest) but a fight with reigning WBO 160-pound champ Billy Joe Saunders could happen in the next few months – if Saunders really wants it, according to Triple-G’s representative Oleg Hermann.
Middleweight warrior Gabriel Rosado has once again laid into reigning WBO champ Billy Joe Saunders. Fans may recall how Saunders was offered a fight with Rosado for the Canelo-Smith card, only for Saunders to turn the fight down, saying it wouldn’t elevate his career. Rosado, 23-9(13) was fuming and he now says that Saunders is chasing money and nothing more and that the unbeaten southpaw only wants a fight with Gennady Golovkin for the big money that would be involved.
Speaking with Mail Online, Rosado, who has fought a number of top names including GGG, David Lemieux and Peter Quillin, said he still hopes to fight Saunders one day.
Who next for middleweight ruler Gennady Golovkin? Unfortunately, it won’t be the man, the opponent, we all want it to be, as Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez insists he needs time to fully develop into a fully-fledged 160-pounder and as a result this particular super-fight will not happen until next September at the earliest (if ever!). So GGG will look to stay active against the best available opposition.