BILLY JOE SAUNDERS has questioned Andy Lee’s mental strength ahead of their WBO world middleweight title clash on Saturday.
The pair will meet for Lee’s belt at the Manchester Arena and Saunders feels his unbeaten record – compared to Lee’s 34-2-1 ledger – is a significant plus.
“I believe I have the advantage going into this fight knowing that I’ve never been beaten before,” he said.
“It definitely gives you confidence knowing that you have overcome everyone you’ve ever faced and I think it does have an affect on you when you lose.
“Some fighters say that losing doesn’t play a part but it has to because you go into a fight weaker mentally and sometimes physically.
“Lee has lost before and I’m going to use that to my advantage. I think he’s a very good fighter but I’m younger and fresher and know I have the skills to beat him.”
Lee has stated he can knock Saunders out with one punch – as he has done to the likes of Matt Korobov and John Jackson – though Saunders insists he is not concerned about such a possibility and even feels his strength will come into play.
“His power doesn’t concern me. I know he has a big reputation for knocking guys out but I’m not going to be one of them,” he mused.
“In fact, I think he has to be concerned about my punching power because it’s something that we’ve been working on.
“This fight is going to be very fan-friendly because of our two styles and it’s going to be electric when we get into the ring.”
