Matchroom Promoter, Eddie Hearn, has provided an update on the future of former WBO super-middleweight champion, Billy Joe Saunders following a two-year hiatus from the sport.
Saunders became a two-division world champion when he defeated Shefat Isufi in May 2019 and made two title defences before challenging Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the unified title in May 2021.
It was then the 33-year-old lost his thirty-fight undefeated record, retiring on the stool after the eighth round of the contest after suffering a fractured eye socket that threatened to cause permanent damage.
Speaking to Boxing Social, Hearn revealed Saunders’ intention to return to the sport despite piling on weight during his time away from the ring.
“He messaged me the other day, it was actually a really nice message that he sent me and I liked what I read, which was “I am going to get back in the gym and in shape, and then we will talk”.
A lot of fighters say that they need a date or a fight to get motivated to get back into the gym, that is a really bad sign, for me. It’s your job, it’s your bread and butter, you should be doing it anyway.”
“Billy Joe Saunders can always walk into big fights, they are there for him, but he has got to get himself into condition first, mentally and physically. We would love to be a part of that team, because I think he is a great fighter and I think he is a character. He winds me up, he drives me mad sometimes, but he is a tremendous fighter.”
As Hearn states, there are plenty of fights to be made for the slick southpaw, who has been linked to a clash with Demetrius Andrade.
A win would help him mount a title charge to reclaim a super-middleweight belt, currently all still held by Canelo unless he decides to vacate and move up to the light-heavyweight division.