BILLY JOE SAUNDERS will fight for the full WBO super-middleweight world title on May 18, when he boxes Shefat Isufi at the Stevenage football ground.
โItโs for the world title, itโs for the full title,โ promoter Frank Warren told Boxing News. Victory would restore Saunders to a favourable position in his career. โHeโll have options. He can fight at super-middleweight or middleweight, thatโs going to be his choice depending on whoโs around,โ Warren continued.
It will be interesting to see who is around. With Saundersโ old rival Chris Eubank Jnr securing a good over James DeGale at super-middleweight, that rematch would be appealing. But Warren is convinced that Eubank wouldnโt take it.
โHe donโt want it,โ the promoter said. โWhat I donโt understand, they talk a good fight the Eubanks, but whatever way you look at it when he opens that record book it says Billy Joe Saunders loss. The only way he can avenge that is fight him and eradicate that loss. But heโs got no intention, heโs not interested so that tells you all you need to know about him.โ
Warrenโs hopes of making fights for Saunders with Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin at 160lbs are slim.
โThe problem I have is thereโs two fighters in particular, Golovkin, they sent us contracts and we signed and sent them back on two occasions. I donโt think they want it and I know that Canelo donโt want it. And thatโs the problem,โ Warren said.
โSo weโve got to look to make another meaningful fight for him, which we will do. In the meantime the Billy Joe Saunders that fought [David] Lemieux has been out the ring for quite a while now. Heโs moving up a weight. Heโs still a young man. The Billy Joe that fought Lemieux has got the beating of those two fellas [Canelo and Danny Jacobs] I saw at the weekend.โ