Former world champion Billy Joe Saunders will not be returning to boxing after enjoying his time away from the sport.
That is the opinion of a fan who saw the Hatfield boxer some sixteen months after his last fight.
billy joe saunders
Saunders lost to Canelo Alvarez in May 2021. His performance went well until an injury to his face and Canelo’s power stopped him in the second half of the fight.
At the time, Saunders was level with Canelo on the WBN scorecard.
But within weeks of the loss, Saunders gained weight and seemed ready to retire.
Sightings posted on social media confirmed that Saunders was far from fit to compete.
The image in this article to the right was supposed to be an actual image of Saunders from last year. However, it has never been ratified.
Still, many expected the 33-year-old’s enjoyment to be temporary. A fan who saw Saunders this week believes that’s still the case.
They stated: “After seeing Billy Joe Saunders this morning, I can confirm that he will not be returning. red bulls, [cigarettes]and sandwiches, everything!”
Meanwhile, Saunders has emerged for interviews despite being largely silent since the Canelo aftermath.
The two-weight world champion expressed his views on the upcoming matchup between former opponent Chris Eubank Jr. and welterweight star Conor Benn.
Eubank Jr vs. Benn
Saunders told a DAZN podcast: “A lot of people prefer Eubank because of the size. You know, the smart thing the Benns have done here is put the weight restriction on it.
“Now, it all depends on how he’s going to handle that at 32.”
Adding his take on what most people see as a one-sided fight for Eubank, Saunders stated, “I’m going to present it as a full fifty-fifty fight.
“If you could give Conor Benn another year of experience and then give him the advantage of the weight stage, I would definitely, without hesitation, say Conor Benn.
“But with the experience that Eubank has, he’s been in some big fights.”
Talking to Benn about the fight, Saunders sees the son of a legend focused enough to make the impact.
“Conor Benn, you can never rule it out. I have a feeling he’s going to get something out of the bag.
“I’ve talked to him, and I’ve been talking to him for a while. He looks so serene, and he loves it so much. There is something at stake here that no one will ever understand, only them. I think Conor wants it more.”
Benn chance
Concluding on why he thinks Benn has a chance, Saunders couldn’t resist another dig at his old rival.
“I stand by my statement as long as my name is Billy Joe Saunders. He will never become a world champion because there is one thing he cannot do, and that is box. [well].”
Saunders has fought just three times in more than three years. He was linked to big fights until pictures of him being overweight went viral.
Hopefully, you can get back in shape. Because if Eubank Jr. wins against Benn, the UK fans want the rematch to happen.
WBN editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. He follows WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
