Billy Joe Saunders is good enough to fight Canelo and Golovkin and give them a run for their money… he just needs to keep eye on the ball
BILLY JOE SAUNDERS will only start fulfilling his true potential if he lands a second world title on Saturday.
The fight with Shefat Isufi, for the WBO super-middleweight title, is not the huge name or scalp he has been craving but the belt might be the perfect bait to help him land the career-defining fights he craves.
I have always admired Billy Joe from a distance, but now he’s training in my gym with Ben Davison I get to see him up close every day and just how good he is.
One thing we have seen with Billy, with the fights he has tried to make with Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin, is that his he is fearless.
He does not fear anyone and why should he when he has his ability?
Canelo has just signed a £365million broadcast deal and Golovkin has followed him with a £100m one, those figures mean they will need top-level opponents, ideally with titles to put on the line.
Do you want to take on a rapid southpaw, with all the skills and brimming with confidence, like Billy Joe Saunders? Because I f***ing wouldn’t!
Ricky Hatton
It is all about timing in this game, if Billy can have a few regular fights, stay fit and busy, it might be just the right time to face one of these big names.
If you want a big fight, a tough fight that people are going to applaud you for winning, who do you want to face?
Do you want to take on a rapid southpaw, with all the skills and brimming with confidence, like Billy Joe Saunders?
Because I f***ing wouldn’t!
That is what is tough for Billy and why he has to keep the faith, he has to stay in the gym and keep his eye on the ball and he will get what he deserves.
He has been a world champion, which is the ultimate achievement, but it would be a shame, for someone of Billy’s ability, to finish his career with only one.
For almost every fighter in the world, to finish with one world title is more than good enough.
But, after spending these last few weeks with Billy in the gym, he really is worth so much more.
GOR-MANIA
MY heavyweight fighter Nathan Gorman has finally got his shot at his old Team GB sparring partner Daniel Dubois on July 13 and I believe he is going to shock a lot of people for the British title.
Nathan is only 22 but he is a Travelling lad and has boxing in his genes.
When he first walked in my door, after just a few amateur fights, somehow he looked a total natural.
Nathan and Tyson Fury are cousins and, since Tyson and his trainer Ben Davison moved into my gym, having the lineal heavyweight champion of the world around is great for Nathan’s development.
There are a lot of similarities between them in terms of their movement and skill.
Neither have the bodybuilder look some people get carried away with but they both have brilliant boxing brains and they are fighting men going back generations.
What a chance Nathan now has, with me in his corner, someone who has been all around the block and learned from good and bad, but also the chance to pick Tyson’s brain whenever he has a question.
Any fighter in the world would be lucky to have that and Nathan, already 16-0 with 11 inside the distance, is going to benefit especially because he is so young and hungry to learn as much as possible.
KHAN’T GO ON FOREVER
AMIR KHAN has given British fight fans ridiculous value for money during his thrilling career but I hope he cashes out soon to keep his legacy intact.
I suffered an horrendous knockout against Manny Pacquiao but he has come back from three against Danny Garcia, Breidis Prescott and Canelo and has now suffered a painful loss against Terence Crawford.
As a friend, I now wonder how many more times he can go to the well and It must be horrible that people think he quit after the Crawford low blow because he has always been full of courage.
He has been down in fights before because he has let his heart rule his head but, as a fight fan, how can you not enjoy and respect that?
most read in boxing
Amir is the polar opposite of a quitter.
I do not want to see him go on and get punished again but only he will know when it is time.
I do hope it is sooner rather than later so his legacy is not spoiled because he has a flawless reputation in my eyes.