Middleweight stars Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jnr. will clash in a big all-British showdown promoter Frank Warren confirmed today.
The undefeated rivals have traded insults and will now finally get to settle their differences in the ring when they face each other on a blockbuster card titled ‘Bad Blood’, headlined by Dereck Chisora’s rematch with Tyson Fury at the ExCeL London on the new rescheduled date of November 29.
Hatfield ace Saunders will defend his European title against Eubank Jnr for the first time after claiming the belt with an eighth round KO win over Italian Emanuele Blandamura in July.
The 2008 Olympian has claimed the British, Commonwealth and European titles, and Eubank Jnr. will be the fourth undefeated fighter that Saunders has faced in a row, after inflicting first losses to Gary O’Sullivan, John Ryder and Blandamura.
Brighton hotshot Eubank Jnr has blitzed his way through so far, knocking out 12 of 17 early and is currently on a nine-fight KO run. The son of the British great has been in Las Vegas training alongside Floyd Mayweather Jnr as he prepares for the biggest test of his career against Saunders.
Promoter Frank Warren is thrilled to have made the fight and that it will feature on the big ExCeL show alongside the Chisora v Fury heavyweight settler.
Warren said, “This is a fabulous fight between two undefeated British fighters and it has all the ingredients to be a thriller. Both men have wanted the fight and I’m delighted that it’s going to be on the same show as another big domestic feud between Chisora v Fury. Saunders has done everything asked of him so far winning British, Commonwealth, WBO Intercontinental, and European titles and as he’s shown, the better the opponent the better he performs. This will certainly be the case against the young Eubank Jnr and he’ll take his game to another level. Eubank Jnr is undefeated and has looked sensational on his rise, but now he’s stepping up to the plate to prove that he’s the real thing by facing the best in the division and that’s Saunders. Their rivalry has been building up over the last few years and now it’s time for them to lay it all on the line and prove who is the best. While it was unfortunate that Saunders missed out on a shot at the WBO world title recently, I’ll be applying to the WBO for this fight to be made an eliminator for the World title. With Chisora v Fury and Saunders v Eubank Jnr on the same show, and with even more title fights to be announced over the coming days, this is going to be one big night of boxing in the capital.”
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