Canelo Alvarez was able to stop Billy Joe Saunders in the eighth round on Saturday in their Middleweight fight. While the fight was fairly competitive for the first eight rounds, it was clear that Canelo had all of the power and stamina in the world, and he wasn’t going to let himself get beat. Alvarez dealt a massive punch to Saunders’ right eye and in between rounds, Saunders’ team threw in the towel and the match was stopped on the spot.
Afterward, Saunders was taken to the hospital where it was revealed he would have to get surgery on his eye socket. At the time, promoter Eddie Hearn said Saunders had some big decisions to make moving forward, although according to Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, Saunders might just have to call it a career.
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Essentially, Saunders suffered a quadripod fracture and he even had his orbital bone smashed in. These injuries were way worse than originally reported and his cheekbone was in a complete state of disarray. As for the surgery, no updates have been given just yet, although we’re sure his team will be updating fans soon.
Needless to say, Canelo’s punching power can do a lot of damage and when you’re dealing with the eye, it is always a sensitive area. Hopefully, Saunders is able to fully recover from such a devastating injury.
[Via]