Canelo Alvarez got to fight against Billy Joe Saunders last night in a match that brought him one step closer to becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world. Alvarez and Saunders had a spirited tilt that lasted all the way until the eighth round when Alvarez caught Saunders with a huge punch to his eye. Saunders was immediately shaken up by the hit and when he went back to his corner in between rounds, he retired on the spot, which gave his belt to Canelo.
Immediately after the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn got to speak to the media about what happened, and he explained that while Saunders is going to be okay, he needs surgery on his eye socket. He even said that it could be a very long time before we see Saunders back in the ring.
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“He’s gone to hospital and I believe he’ll have that operated on immediately. So he’s going to be out for a long, long time,” Hearn said. “But he’s a world class fighter who lost to the pound-for-pound number one. He’s a two-weight world champion. If he wants to carry on there’s some big fights out there for him. He may feel he has got to a stage where he’s been there, he’s done it, he’s seen it all. We’ll back him 100%.”
Once again, Canelo has shown why he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the entire world, and we can’t wait to see who he fights next, although most people believe it will be Caleb Plant, who has the one belt Alvarez needs to become undisputed champ.
[Via]