Billy Joe Saunders could well make a return to the ring to fight one of his long-time rivals.
Saunders is a former WBO middleweight world champion who lifted his belt in 2015 after beating Andy Lee. He went on to defend it against the likes of Willie Monroe Jr and David Lemieux and then moved up a division.
He became the WBO super-middleweight champion in 2019, and after two further defences he surrendered his belt with a KO loss at the fists of Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez in May 2021. He has not fought since.
Earlier in his career, Saunders scored a points win over Chris Eubank Jr. The pair have never liked on another and talk of a rematch has never gone away.
Speaking to iFL TV, GBM Sports promoter Izzy Asif revealed that there had been negotiations recently between the camps about a rematch.
“I’m going to tell you know, this is no secret, Billy will tell you, we were really close in negotiations. An offer was on the table for the Eubank team. I was involved in the deal, I was part of Billy’s team, and there were talks of it.
“But listen, I’m not going to say anything else, It could happen again. That fight could happen. Eubank-Billy Joe, great fight, real rivalry, no acting up, they genuinely don’t like each other.”
While that could still be a fight for the future, Eubank Jr has other business to deal with first in the form of his other great rivalry with Conor Benn. The pair fight at middleweight on April 26.
