A former world champion has announced he will make a return to boxing this year.
It’s been four years since former WBO super-middleweight and middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders was beaten for the first time in his career by Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, but the 35-year-old has vowed to make his long-awaited return to the ring before the year is out.
Saunders was undefeated before facing Canelo at the AT&T Stadium in May 2021, but suffered a devastating injury to his eye socket during the eighth round which forced the Brit to pull out of the contest before the beginning of the ninth round.
The former two-weight world champion has recently emerged back into the spotlight and details of a conversation between Saunders and promoter Frank Warren have been speculated, as he targets a return to the ring before the end of 2025.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Saunders claimed that a return to the ring is definitely on the cards as he claims he ‘never really retired’ after sharing the ring with Canelo almost half a decade ago.
“Never once did it go through my head that I was actually retired. It all just took a long time to get my head around because I had built up so much to that fight. When I was in there I was thinking ‘Is this it?’
“There’s a lot of questions, a lot of demons inside me I need to get out. There’s only one way to get them out and to answer the questions and that is by getting back in the ring. Let’s see what I’ve got left there.”
Saunders has been linked with a rematch against bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr in recent weeks, but it remains unclear whether a second showdown between the domestic rivals will come to fruition.
Saunders will reportedly return at light-heavyweight with a fight date likely to be discussed in the coming months as he potentially looks to become a three-weight world champion.
