Billy Joe Saunders Tickets

Billy Joe Saunders is an English professional boxer born on August 30, 1989, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. He comes from a family of boxers, with his father and uncles all having professional boxing careers. Saunders started boxing at the age of five and soon realized that he had a natural flair for the sport.

Saunders' amateur career began at the Hoddesdon Boxing Club, where he won 49 of his 50 fights. He then moved to the Cheshunt Amateur Boxing club, where he trained under the guidance of former European champion Kevin Sanders. Saunders' amateur career highlight was winning a gold medal at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships as a welterweight before representing Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2009, Saunders turned pro and went unbeaten in his first 22 professional fights. He was crowned the British middleweight champion in 2015 after defeating Chris Eubank Junior in a close 12-round decision. Saunders then successfully defended his belt against Andy Lee in December of that year, winning by majority decision.

In December 2017, Saunders faced off against Canada's David Lemieux for the WBO World Middleweight title. Saunders put up a masterclass performance, dominating Lemieux across twelve rounds and cruising to a unanimous decision victory. The win saw Saunders adding the WBO world title to his name.

Saunders next retained his crown against American Willie Monroe Jr., with a clear-cut points decision in September 2018. In May 2019, he made his debut in the super-middleweight division, defeating Shefat Isufi, and winning the WBO Interim Super-Middleweight title.

Throughout his career, Saunders has been known for his slick southpaw style and excellent footwork. He uses angles effectively, slips punches with ease, and has formidable hand speed and power.

However, Saunders hasn't been without controversy throughout his career. In 2018, he was denied a boxing license by the Massachusetts Athletic Commission after an incident where he mocked and threw chicken at a drug addict on the street. Saunders has also made numerous inappropriate comments in interviews, including one about female genital mutilation, leading to some backlash.

Saunders is currently undefeated in 30 fights and is set to face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in May 2021. It's going to be the biggest test of his career as Alvarez is widely considered one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world. A win over Alvarez would cement Saunders' place among the sport's elite and put him in line for some big-money matchups against other top fighters.