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Billy Joe Saunders

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Billy Joe Saunders
Saunders in 2011
Born (1989-08-30) 30 August 1989 (age 34)
Welwyn Garden City,
Hertfordshire,
England
NationalityBritish
Statistics
Weight(s)Middleweight
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights23
Wins23
Wins by KO12
Losses0

Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the current WBO middleweight champion, having previously held the European, British and Commonwealth middleweight titles. As an amateur he represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Background

Originally from Cheshunt, Saunders grew up in a Romanichal travelling community near Hatfield, Hertfordshire. His great-grandfather, Absolom Beeney, was one of the community's most famous bare-knuckle boxers.[1] Billy Joe fought for Cheshunt Amateur Boxing club, overseen by Charlie Bliss, and also at Hoddesdon Amateur Boxing Club.[2][3][4]

Amateur career

Saunders won his first 49 amateur fights at senior level, including the 2007 Commonwealth Championships[5] and the 2008 Strandya Cup, edging out Cuban Carlos Banteux.[6]

In 2008 Saunders qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the welterweight division at the age of 18.[7] At the European area qualifier in Pescara, Italy he beat European champion Andrey Balanov and Kakhaber Zhvania, but lost in the semi-final to Oleksandr Stretskyy before beating Pavol Hlavačka for the all-important third spot.[8] to become the first person from the British Romanichal community to qualify for the games.[9]

In Beijing he beat Adem Kılıççı in the first round but lost to old foe Carlos Banteux in the second. He was subsequently suspended for "lewd behaviour", allegedly pertaining to an incident with a local woman during a pre-season training camp in France.[10] In early December 2008, Saunders turned professional and signed with promoter Frank Warren.

Professional career

Saunders (right) vs. Gary Boulden, 2011

Saunders made his professional debut on 28 February 2009 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, against Attila Molnar. Saunders looked confident from the opening bell, landing hard combinations which quickly overwhelmed Molnar. In round two, a series of punches that landed flush on Molnar's chin caused the referee to stop the fight and save a dazed Molnar. Saunders won his second fight by second-round stoppage of Ronny Gabel and his third fight, also by second round stoppage, of Matt Scriven. On 9 October 2009, he went four full rounds to outpoint Alex Spitko. On 21 May 2011, he scored an impressive second-round knockout victory over Kevin Hammond.[11] Saunders went on to score wins against Norbert Szekeres, Gary Boulden and Tony Hill, the last of these giving him his seventh professional knockout victory and his first major regional title, the Commonwealth middleweight championship, on 28 April 2012.[12] For his first defence of the title, on 1 June, Saunders went the full twelve-round distance (also a first) against veteran Bradley Pryce, outpointing him comfortably. A then-undefeated Jarrod Fletcher was quickly dispatched in two rounds on 14 September.

On 15 December, Saunders fought Nick Blackwell for the vacant British middleweight title. This turned out to be one of Saunders' first tough outings, as he was forced to go the full twelve rounds en route to a competitive unanimous decision victory on the judges' scorecards.[13] A pair of trouble-free fights came next, against tough slugger Matthew Hall on 21 March 2013 and Gary O'Sullivan on 20 July, both of which also lasted twelve full rounds. 2013 concluded for Saunders with another tough fight on 21 September, this time against fellow British prospect John Ryder in defence of both the Commonwealth and British middleweight titles. Both fighters came in undefeated and fought for twelve competitive rounds, with very close scorecards all favouring Saunders.[13]

It would be almost another year until Saunders had his next fight. On 26 July 2014 he added to his title collection with an eighth-round knockout of Emanuele Blandamura, earning him the European middleweight title.[14] Immediately after the Blandamura fight, Saunders called out another undefeated British prospect and arch rival Chris Eubank, Jr.[15] Prolonged negotiations ensued between Frank Warren and Eubank, Jr.'s team (led by his father Chris Eubank, Sr.), with the highly anticipated fight eventually signed in October[16] and taking place on 29 November. All three of Saunders' titles were on the line, as well as being an eliminator for the WBO world middleweight title. The rivalry and build-up was likened to the first fight between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank in 1990.[17] Saunders went on to defeat Eubank, Jr. via split decision; two judges had scores of 115–114 and 115–113 for Saunders, with the third judge scoring 116–113 for Eubank, Jr. Having secured his third defence of the British middleweight title, Saunders earned the Lonsdale Belt outright; he gave this to his father Tommy as a Christmas present.[18]

With the win over Eubank, Jr., Saunders was in line for an opportunity to fight WBO world middleweight champion Andy Lee. In February 2015, Saunders and Warren accepted a 'step-aside' financial offer from promoter Lou DiBella in order for Lee to face Peter Quillin instead.[19][20] Warren said that he hoped for Lee to win that fight so that Saunders vs. Lee could be staged in the summer. At around the same time, due to his high ranking, Saunders also received an offer from the IBF to fight for their vacant world middleweight title, but he reiterated his intention to follow the WBO route.[21] In June, Saunders vs. Lee was officially announced for the WBO world middleweight title.[22] The fight was initially scheduled to take place in Lee's hometown of Limerick on 19 September, but was postponed and moved to Manchester on 10 October due to Lee suffering from a viral infection.[23] On 1 September, yet another postponement arose due to Saunders receiving a cut in sparring.[24] The fight was subsequently rescheduled for 19 December.[25]

On 24 July, Saunders took a tune-up fight—weighing in at 173 pounds (78 kg), near the light-heavyweight limit—and stopped Yoann Bloyer in four rounds.[26] On 19 December, Saunders defeated WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee via majority decision to capture his first world title, with judges' scores of 115–111, 114–112 and 113–113. In the third round, Saunders scored two knockdowns against Lee to build up an early lead on the scorecards. He then continued to outbox Lee using head movement and an accurate jab until the later rounds. At this point, Lee began to land more frequently with heavy punches of his own, but was too late to overcome the points deficit despite a strong finish in the final round.[27]

Professional boxing record

23 fights, 23 wins (12 knockouts), 0 losses[28]
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
23 Win 23–0 Andy Lee MD 12 19 Dec 2015 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Won WBO middleweight title
22 Win 22–0 Yoann Bloyer TKO 4 (12), 0:53 24 Jul 2015 Wembley Arena, London, England
21 Win 21–0 Chris Eubank, Jr. SD 12 29 Nov 2014 ExCeL, London, England Retained European, Commonwealth and British middleweight titles;
Won Lonsdale Belt
20 Win 20–0 Emanuele Blandamura KO 8 (12), 2:58 26 Jul 2014 Phones 4u Arena, Manchester, England Won vacant European middleweight title
19 Win 19–0 John Ryder UD 12 21 Sep 2013 Copper Box, London, England Retained Commonwealth and British middleweight titles
18 Win 18–0 Gary O'Sullivan UD 12 20 Jul 2013 Wembley Arena, London, England Won WBO International middleweight title
17 Win 17–0 Matthew Hall UD 12 21 Mar 2013 York Hall, London, England Retained Commonwealth and British middleweight titles
16 Win 16–0 Nick Blackwell UD 12 15 Dec 2012 ExCeL, London, England Retained Commonwealth middleweight title;
Won vacant British middleweight title
15 Win 15–0 Jarrod Fletcher TKO 2 (12), 2:42 14 Sep 2012 York Hall, London, England Retained Commonwealth middleweight title
14 Win 14–0 Bradley Pryce UD 12 1 Jun 2012 York Hall, London, England Retained Commonwealth middleweight title
13 Win 13–0 Tony Hill TKO 1 (10), 0:30 28 Apr 2012 Royal Albert Hall, London, England Won vacant Commonwealth middleweight title
12 Win 12–0 Tommy Tolan TKO 1 (8), 1:07 14 Dec 2011 York Hall, London, England
11 Win 11–0 Gary Boulden PTS 10 5 Nov 2011 Wembley Arena, London, England Won British Southern Area middleweight title
10 Win 10–0 Norbert Szekeres TKO 1 (8), 2:51 15 Oct 2011 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
9 Win 9–0 Kevin Hammond TKO 2 (8), 3:00 21 May 2011 The O2 Arena, London, England
8 Win 8–0 Turgay Uzun RTD 2 (8), 3:00 2 Apr 2011 York Hall, London, England
7 Win 7–0 Tony Randell TKO 2 (6), 0:39 11 Dec 2010 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
6 Win 6–0 Andy Butlin PTS 6 15 May 2010 Boleyn Ground, London, England
5 Win 5–0 Lee Noble PTS 6 5 Dec 2009 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England
4 Win 4–0 Alex Spitko PTS 4 9 Oct 2009 York Hall, London, England
3 Win 3–0 Matt Scriven TKO 2 (4), 1:21 18 Jul 2009 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
2 Win 2–0 Ronny Gabel TKO 2 (4), 1:16 15 May 2009 The Odyssey, Belfast, Northern Ireland
1 Win 1–0 Attila Molnar TKO 2 (4), 1:47 28 Feb 2009 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England Professional debut

Titles in boxing

Achievements
Preceded by
Gary Boulden
 British Southern Area middleweight champion
5 November 2011 – 2013
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Elliott Matthews
Vacant
Title last held by
Martin Murray 		Commonwealth middleweight champion
28 April 2012 – present 		Incumbent
Vacant
Title last held by
Martin Murray 		British middleweight champion
15 December 2012 – 12 March 2015
Won Lonsdale Belt
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Nick Blackwell
Vacant
Title last held by
Vitor Sa 		WBO International middleweight champion
20 July 2013 – 2015
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Antoine Douglas
Vacant
Title last held by
Max Bursak 		European middleweight champion
26 July 2014 – 7 March 2015
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Michel Soro
Preceded by WBO middleweight champion
19 December 2015 – present 		Incumbent

References

  1. ^ Addley, Esther (4 August 2008). "Going for gold: young Gypsy keeps up a family tradition". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  2. ^ Hart, Simon (17 February 2008). "Billy Joe Saunders after Beijing Olympic gold". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Saunders one fight from Beijing". Ipswich Star. Archant. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  4. ^ "Billy Joe Saunders wants to be first Gypsy world champion". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  5. ^ "CommonwealthChamps2007". Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Strandjata2008". Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  7. ^ "BBC SPORT | Olympics | GB boxers secure Beijing places". BBC News. 1 March 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  8. ^ "European Olympic Qualifications – 1 – Pescara, Italy". Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  9. ^ Dennis, Chris (18 March 2008). "Bbc Sport". BBC News. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  10. ^ "BBC SPORT | Olympics | Boxing | Boxer Saunders protests innocence". BBC News. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Boxing Results and Boxing News". BoxingNews365. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Billy Joe Saunders Next Fight". BoxingReplays. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  13. ^ a b Davies, Gareth A. (28 November 2014). "Billy Joe Saunders vs Chris Eubank Jnr – where the fight will be won and lost". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  14. ^ Barnett, Phil (27 July 2014). "Billy Joe Saunders overcomes Emanuele Blandamura for European Middleweight Title". Daily Mail. DMG Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Saunders: If Chris Eubank Jr. Has a Pair, Let's Fight!". BoxingScene. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  16. ^ Warren, Frank (9 October 2014). "Frank Warren column: Dealing with Chris Eubank was a nightmare but we've finally got Billy Joe Saunders vs Eubank Jr signed". The Independent. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  17. ^ Dooley, Terence (29 November 2014). "Looking Back at The Year Leading Up To Benn-Eubank". BoxingScene. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  18. ^ Gold, Alasdair (30 November 2014). "Billy Joe Saunders admits he has 'more learning' to do after Chris Eubank Jr fight". Hertfordshire Mercury. Local World. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  19. ^ Kim, Steve (3 February 2015). "DiBella Offers Clarification on Lee-Saunders Scenario". BoxingScene. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  20. ^ Warren, Frank (7 February 2015). "Frank Warren on Saunders' Shot, Froch, Kessler, More". BoxingScene. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  21. ^ Donovan, Jake (12 February 2015). "Saunders passes on IBF/N'Dam, wants Lee-Quillin winner". BoxingScene. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  22. ^ Dooley, Terence (2015-06-22). "Andy Lee-Saunders Will Be Special Night, Says Booth". BoxingScene. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  23. ^ Murphy, Darragh (12 August 2015). "Bad news for fight fans as Andy Lee v Billy Joe Saunders bout is moved to Manchester". sportsjoe.ie. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  24. ^ Donovan, Jake (1 September 2015). "Lee-Saunders: Warren Wants Medicals Before New Date". BoxingScene. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  25. ^ "Andy Lee-Billy Joe Saunders Set For December 19th". BoxingScene. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  26. ^ Gilfoid, Scott (2015-07-24). "Buglioni defeats Castaneda; Saunders stops Bloyer; Chisora destroys Lobjanidze". boxingnews24.com. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  27. ^ Dirs, Ben (2015-12-19). "Billy Joe Saunders beats Andy Lee for WBO middleweight title". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  28. ^ "Billy Joe Saunders - Boxer". BoxRec. Retrieved 2015-05-09.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Joe_Saunders&oldid=707235259"