Britain's Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 KOs) lost his unification fight to Saul Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) in May and lost his WBO super middleweight championship belt. He's had time to think things through, and he can already allow himself to speak out about his tough loss to the Mexican.
"I'm not looking for excuses, Canelo was better that day. People can say I led on points, but the most important thing is that Canelo won. If someone better beat me, I accept that. And he was better that night," said Saunders, who is now contemplating retirement in sport, although he does have future fight prospects: a lucrative rematch against Chris Eubank Jr. whom Billy Joe defeated in 2014. However, it's worth remembering that Saunders suffered a dangerous eye socket injury in his eighth-round fight with Canelo, and while it's been quite a while since he had successful surgery, that may be the deciding factor in determining his future.
"I acted a bit inattentively because I didn't feel the extraordinary force of Canelo's punch until the eighth round. When I missed that uppercut in the eighth round, I thought I slipped, but then I felt my eye hurt. Great boxers find their way to victory and he is a great boxer. I bow my head to him," Saunders added.
Alvarez, WBA, WBO and WBC super middleweight champion, is currently considered the best boxer in the world regardless of weight classes. His next fight is scheduled for November 6 against IBF champion Caleb Plant. All the super middleweight belts will be on the line in this meeting.
