Britain’s former Olympian Billy Joe Saunders fights Andy Lee on September 19th for the WBO middleweight championship in Limerick, Ireland, in an historic fight that will see the first time two men of traveller origins have contested a version of a world title.
The ever honest Saunders is confident of dethroning his Irish rival in style and being crowned the new champion, yet in the event that happens, don’t expect him to sign for a unification with murderous punching Kazakh Gennady Golovkin – arguably the most avoided fighter in boxing today depending on who you believe.
Speaking to iFLtv, Saunders offered some insight into the politics/avoidance side of the fight game, insisting he wouldn’t fight Golovkin under any circumstances, having witnessed the likes of countrymen Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray previously fall at his heavy hitting hands.
Perhaps thinking he would go the same way as Golovkin’s last opponent, Willie Monroe Jr, who like Saunders, is a slick, southpaw, Billy Joe said;
“I’ll tell you what sort of fighter I am, I’m up, I’m straight and I’m honest. I fancy my chances with any 160 in the world. Any 160 – take him (Golovkin) out of the equation.”
“If they (Golovkin’s team) come and offered me stupid money I’d sit down and I’d think – ‘they’ve offered me good money, let me have a look at him on the internet and a look at the weigh in and I’d sit there and think, ‘yeah, I can beat him.
“I would never go into a fight thinking I could lose. Ever – but I don’t care what money it was, I just wouldn’t do it. (fight GGG)
“And I’m the sort of fighter who wants to win every single fight I fight in, and I know I can beat every 160. On my day I know I can beat them all – but minus him. (GGG)
“I’m not bothered about fighting your Miguel Cotto’s, whoever you wanna fight, ’cause I know I’ll bring something out of the bag to win.
“But Golovkin? I want him to have another two years, go up and down in weight, have a few hard fights. Another two years when I’m 27, 28 – bang, then get him.”
Asked if he was saying he’d fight him when he was essentially a shot fighter, Saunders said “Yeah. That’s what I’m saying.”
“I don’t want to go into a fight thinking I’m gonna get beat here. And I would never go in a fight like that. I just wouldn’t. I wouldn’t fight. If I thought I was just gonna go and get beat, I’d rather say – ‘alright, thanks, very good money yeah, but thanks, no.”
You have to admire his honesty. How many others up and down the middleweight rankings are thinking exactly the same thing, only they won’t say it out loud?
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
