The former two-division world champion says he misses boxing but admits returning at 36 would depend on whether he can still compete at the highest level
Billy Joe Saunders says he still misses boxing but remains uncertain whether a comeback is realistic after five years away from the ring. The former two-division world champion admitted returning at 36 would depend on whether he can regain the form that once made him a world champion.
“I’m always dragged back into [boxing] one way or another. It’s a game that you miss,” Saunders said during an interview with The Stomping Ground.
“You’ll think, ‘You know what, I’m going to go home Monday; I’m going to start training; I’m going to pound the roads; I’m going to get in the gym’. Then Tuesday comes and you’re in the café.”
Saunders admitted he would like to fight again but questioned whether he could still compete after spending five years away from the ring.
“I would love to [make a comeback]. Am I good enough now, at 36 [years old]? We don’t know. If I lost the weight and came out like an absolute stallion … [a return] could be on the cards.”
The comments paint a picture of a fighter who remains attached to the sport but is far from committing to another training camp. Rather than targeting opponents or a timetable, Saunders focused on the difficulty of rediscovering the motivation needed to return.
Saunders captured WBO world titles at middleweight and super middleweight during his career, with his standout victory coming against David Lemieux in 2017. He later earned the biggest payday of his career when he challenged Canelo Alvarez in front of more than 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium. Saunders suffered a serious orbital injury in that fight and has not boxed since.
Now approaching his 37th birthday in August, Saunders appears to be weighing the realities of another comeback against the demands required to compete after such a lengthy absence.
