BJ: I’ll KO Martin... then hit the beers with Tyson SAUNDERS EYES BIG ROUND IN RUSSIA
BOXING SPECIAL
Saunders, who defends his WBO middleweight belt against Martin Murray on June 23, reckons he and Fury could even do their bit for world peace while they are there in Russia.
Saunders said: “After my fight with Martin, 100 per cent I will be there cheering on England with Tyson.”
And, joking, he added: “That’s Putin isn’t it? We will go there, kidnap him and bring him back here.
“Tyson was up at the house we stay at in Sheffield a few weeks ago – he’s looking good.
“You only need to look at what he was, and where he is at now – it’s fantastic.”
Saunders has transformed himself too over the last couple of years. By his own admission, the 28-year-old was winning bouts but still not making the most of his talent.
That has all changed since he joined up with trainer Dominic Ingle, and he is now regularly talked of as a potential opponent for fourbelt world champion Gennady Golovkin.
Triple G has not, however, shown any great desire to face Saunders, prompting him to consider fights at super-middleweight after his clash with Murray.
That could include a battle with another fighter whom Saunders considers a mate – IBF world champ James Degale. Saunders added: “One hundred per cent that fight could be made.
“My promoter, Frank Warren, has a good working relationship with him.
“Degale is a bit of a character — I have that ‘flip’ in me and so does Degale, so the fight could catch fire. I do class him as a mate.
“We’ve put the gloves on for nothing before, and went rounds and rounds and rounds. I’m sure the next time we can do it for a few quid.”
Of a potential match-up with Golovkin, Saunders said: “I’ve been around the block before on this one and I believe that if they really wanted to fight me, and didn’t see me as a threat, the fight would have been done. They know deep down that I am bad for business at the minute because Golovkin and ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will fight again and pick up probably £50million or so.
“Does Golovkin want to take a chance and fight me before that fight?
“For me that shows that he is worried. Because if it were that easy a fight against me, he would take it, take my belt and make his fight even bigger.”
Saunders added: “I am 28 and in my prime, and I want to see how good I am against the best. But I won’t chase anyone anymore.
“If Golovkin wants to fight me, I’ll fight him, but I will fight anybody from middleweight to super-middleweight, anybody at all.” insists the RIO FERDINAND’S coach Control got it wrong in British Boxing Board of to become a pro boxer. denying him a licence 39, (right), EX-WBC Speaking of Ferdinand, Richie Woodhall super-middleweight champ got it wrong. I’m not said: “The Board have age and lack of surprised, due to Rio’s had come to watch experience, but if someone his licence. him spar, he’d have got a enough standard to be “He’d reached a good boxers come over professional. We see foreign near as good as here, who are nowhere and other Rio. His sparring partners not coaches said to me, ‘He’s bad, Richie’.”