Promoter Frank Warren has shed some light on Billy Joe Saunders’s situation. The current WBO middleweight champion was scheduled to fight WBO interim-middleweight champion Avtandil Khurtsidze on July 8th but the fight got cancelled. Khurtsidze was arrested due to crime syndicate ties to a local Russian mafia in New York. He is currently under a travel ban.
The big question is: when and against who will Saunders fight?
“We’re upset with what has happened but Billy will fight now in September. He has got to have a fight that week of the Golovkin-Canelo fight, but not on the same bill. Billy has to fight his mandatory which is Khurtsidze, but I can’t see how it’s going to be him,” commented Warren according to boxingscene.com
The plan is clear. Warren and Saunders are gunning for the winner of Canelo-Golovkin.
“That’s what Billy wants to do, to face the winner of that [Canelo-Golovkin] fight. If the winner of that fight wants all four belts, he will have to fight Billy. Billy has just been unlucky with injuries and now this. It will happen for him he just has to keep the WBO belt,” stated Warren.
Like Warren said, before Canelo or Gennady Golovkin, Saunders needs a tune up fight since he hasn’t fought since 2015. Some of the names considered are David Lemieux and Ryota Murata according to boxingscene.com