Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, has provided fans with an update on the future of former two-weight world champion, Billy Joe Saunders, after a prolonged absence from the sport.
Saunders held the WBO world title at both middleweight and super-middleweight, but suffered defeat for the first time in his professional career in May 2021.
The 33 year-old lost to pound-for-pound superstar, Canelo Alvarez, retiring in the corner after eight rounds. Following the fight, it was revealed that Saunders had fractured his orbital bone as a result of a brutal uppercut, an injury we have seen other British boxers sustain.
Kell Brook fractured the same bone against Gennady Golovkin and then broke it again against Errol Spence Jr.
Saunders’ injury left him unable to see out of his right eye and required surgery – he has now been out of the ring for over eighteen months.
In 2022, images of Saunders’ weight gain circulated on the internet, with fans fearing that his career could be over. However, his trainer, Ben Davison, revealed in November that Saunders was back in training and that he had lost a lot of the weight.
In an interview with Boxing Social, Eddie Hearn confirmed that Saunders is looking to fight and is contemplating a ‘huge’ rematch with Chris Eubank Jr, who he beat for the British title back in 2014.
“He messaged me the other day, I’ve actually got to get back to him today. I think he is looking to fight, with Billy it’s just the plan. I’m sure he is out speaking to various different people at the moment, he knows the [Chris] Eubank [Jnr] fight is a huge fight, but he is going to want the right money. I don’t know if he is thinking of a fight first and then a big fight, or just jumping straight in, but I believe that he is back in training.”
Chris Eubank Jr fights Liam Smith at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night, topping a sttacked undercard. The event will be available to purchase on Sky Sports PPV for £19.95, with ringwalks for the main-event to take place around 10pm.