Billy Joe Saunders has been made mandatory challenger for Demetrius Andrade’s WBO World super welterweight title.
Undefeated American Andrade made his first defence recently, ending the challenge of Artur Akavov in the final of 12 rounds at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Despite the controversial nature of what many deemed to be a premature stoppage, Andrade (26-0, 16 KOs) was in dominant form against the Russian earlier this month, which was shown exclusively live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN Stateside.
And the man who won the vacant title against Walter Kautondokwa last October at the TD Garden in Boston will face Billy Joe Saunders, the former champion (27-0, 13 KOs) who he was originally set to face on that card, in the coming months, after the WBO made the Hatfield man – who failed a drugs test for oxilofrine – mandatory.
Saunders was handed a six-month WBO suspension as a result of the debacle, though this has been ended early as he submitted to all of their requests including extra drugs testing and charity work with disadvantaged children.
When the fight was initially put together last year, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren came to an eleventh-hour agreement, but it is likely to go to purse bids this time around, with the split of the minimum purse bid of $200,000 being 75 per cent to 25 in favour of the champion.
Both parties have 30 days – until February 21 – to make a deal, then the bout will go to purse bids.
Article by: Elliot Foster