Both guys are talented, willing to fight the best, and one of them has a legit world title. And it could be, according to RingTV.com, that Billy Joe Saunders, 24-0(12) and Willie Monroe Junior, 21-2(6) will fight in London on September 16 (yes, the same night world middleweight ruler Gennady Golovkin defends against Canelo Alvarez in their Las Vegas Super Fight).
Saunders, unbeaten and the current WBO middleweight champ, has been in search of a big, meaningful fight for some time now. At one point not too long ago, it was suggested the British southpaw had bagged himself a shot at Triple-G (the WBO strap BJS holds being something GGG wants) but this fight fell through (for now at least.)
Philly’s Monroe, the slick boxer who is related to one of Philadelphia’s toughest-ever fighters, has actually faced GGG: acquitting himself well enough before being stopped in the middle rounds back in May of 2015. Since then 30 year old Monroe, a lefty like Saunders, has won two in a row; both good wins – over John Thompson and, last time out, Gabriel Rosado (a fighter who was at one point all set to fight BJS only for this fight, like a number of Saunders’ career bouts, falling through as well).
With Saunders’ intriguing rumble with pint-sized puncher Avtandil Khurtsidze called off for well-documented reasons, this fight, if it happens (RingTV.com reports how a “source” that “requested anonymity” provided the tip-off) will make a more than satisfying sub.
Both Saunders, who will be making his second world title defence, and Monroe can box quite beautifully when the mood suits them, and both men have plenty of pride, heart and ambition.
Let’s hope this one comes off. Both men deserve a big fight, BJS especially. As to who wins, Saunders, still only 27, has appeared to have weight issues as of late (looking, as he himself was ready to admit, poor and sluggish against the unheralded Artur Akavov in a decision win last December), while Monroe seems to have kept his edge.
Call it a pick ’em. If it goes ahead.
