Billy Joe Saunders could be making a surprising return to the fight game.
The former middleweight world champion has not fought since he was soundly beaten and stopped by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez back in May 2021, despite often suggesting he was on the verge of lacing up the gloves once more.
Before that loss, he beat the likes of Chris Eubank Jr, Martin Murray, David Lemieux and Willie Monroe Jr, though his biggest and best victory arguably came against Andy Lee in December 2015 when he won the WBO middleweight title.
Although he has often spoken of wanting a rematch with Eubank Jr, he has not fought in over four years, and his record remains 30 wins from 31 contests.
It seems he may be about to return though, as speaking to The Ariel Helwani Show, Australian bare-knuckle fighter Matt Floyd revealed he has agreed to fight Saunders next.
“I beat Shane Mosley, I beat DeGale, now I’m fighting Billy Joe Saunders.”
Floyd has been busy in BKFC since his debut back in 2021, with 15 fights and just two loses. He has won many of those by knockout and has never been stopped himself.
He is a former WBO and WBC Asia title winner and last time out was involved in a fractious contest with former boxing world champion and Eubank victim James DeGale. Floyd had several points deducted for breaking the rules, and DeGale ended up beating him on the cards in his bare-knuckle debut, though Floyd argues he should have won.
Floyd has already flown to the UK in a bid to try and meet up and negotiate with Saunders, though based on the Australian’s social media activity, as it yet it appears no meeting has been able to take place.
