Quit the bravado. Boxers claiming they’d rather be carried out on a stretcher do the sport no favours, reflects Matt Christie after Billy Joe Saunders loss to Canelo Alvarez
MIDWAY through the eighth round of his fight with Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders realised that having the side of your face caved in with a single blow is desperately uncomfortable. When he returned to his corner the suspected fracture in his orbital bone was poked, prodded and later confirmed. At the moment he was pulled out, he made no effort to object to his corner’s admirable decision. And nor should he have done. Retiring from the fight was the only sane thing to do at that point.
Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders: The Breakdown
AGE AND PHYSICAL EQUIPMENT
CANELO: A professional since 2005, it is amazing to think that the 55-1-2 (37) Canelo is still only 30 years old – and seemingly improving with age. Arguably in his fighting prime, the bull-necked Mexican is a strong and stocky super-middleweight standing at 5ft 8ins. Despite being three inches shorter than Saunders, the duo share a very similar reach (71ins for Saunders and 70 1/2ins for Canelo).
SAUNDERS: Although he is a year older than Canelo, Saunders is the fresher of the two, having contested 30 pro bouts (all victories, 14 inside time) compared to Alvarez’s 58.