Vinny’s Views: It’s The Big One Elizabeth…Billy Joe Saunders is Finally Defending his Title – Breaking It Down By the Numbers!
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By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci
For the true fight fans who catch every bout on cable your patience has paid off as the oft postponed first WBO middleweight title defense of Billy Joe Saunders has finally come to fruition. Saunders will be defending just 2 weeks shy of the anniversary of his twelve round victory over Andy Lee. Since then the champ has been giving Houdini a run for his money by disappearing every time a defense is scheduled. This past April, he pulled out of a defense against Max Bursak with a hand injury that was never rescheduled. July 8th Golden Boy Promotions had him penciled in for a defense on Canelo Alvarez/Liam Smith undercard setting up a fall match with projected winners. Only problem was Saunders rejected all three challengers who were already vanquished in previous title attempts against true middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. Billy Joe signed off on Gabriel Rosado, Willie Monroe, JR. and Curtis Stevens.
It’s been a horrific middleweight landscape since then as every good 160 pounder has come up with lame excuses for not fighting Golovkin. Cotto sat on idle throne basking in glory only to settle on a catch weight defense against Canelo Alvarez who took his title. Alvarez did the same thing and after stopping over matched Amir Kahn, gave up his belt rather than fight “GGG”. So did Peter Quillin a few years back. Interim WBA champ Daniel Jacobs has balked at mandated unification dates and magically hasn’t been stripped while fans hope for March date. Both Saunders and top contender Chris Eubanks, JR. talked themselves out of promotion by making outlandish demands over money and promotional rights.
While fans may have grown disinterested in Saunders credibility at all I have been wondering aloud how the hell Saunders can hold a fan base let alone earn a living on the sidelines? OK follow me here there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Saunders was allowed to avoid being stripped of title as he signed to fight Russian Artur Akavov in late November. Surprise, another cancellation. Rebooked for Dec 3rd, where overseas documents for the challenger weren’t sent in prompt and orderly fashion. Hey, don’t piss and moan at least it’s a story we’ve never heard before. Somehow sane heads prevailed and this postponement is only one week.
Since it took Saunders an entire year to get a defense in, the WBO has told the champ his next two defenses must be against the new number one contenders in tandem. Where this puts promoter Oscar De la Hoya’s plan for a March fight with Alvarez is anybody’s guess…
For now Box Nation will carry the fight this Saturday from Cardiff Scotland keeping fans plugged in as we ride out the years end with still two more weeks of action following.
Forget the betting odds and pass on this one. Saunders an overwhelming favorite but a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Let’s start with a year of ring rust which out of the gate cuts some slack off the favoritism. Here’s the lowdown. Saunders is a 5’11” southpaw. The 29 year old should be approaching his prime and boasts a record of 23-0,12 KO’s. In the last two years he has defeated two quality name contenders in Chris Eubank, JR. and defending champion Andy Lee by split and majority decisions respectively. His challenger who is rated tenth is viewed as little more than a tune up and payday because his 16-1, 7 KO’s seems like a gift wrapped win. No recognizable names adorn his record and that can be very misleading if Saunders took this fight lightly.
Style wise this is a good scrap for several reasons. Artur who goes by the moniker “Wolverine” is a better power boxer than given credit for strictly based on his level of competition. At 5’9 and a half inches he’ll fight seeing eye to eye with the champ who crouches behind a high guard. While unofficially the champ holds a reach advantage, it won’t appear that way when the bell rings as Billy Joe keeps his elbows tucked to his ribs.
Artur has stopped 7 of his last 8 opponents which makes his KO percentage a bit misleading. . He is a flat footed fighter who gets away with a porous defense while he show boats an impressive arsenal of five punch combinations before either sliding one back step out of counter range or completely ducking under a counter and firing from a blindside. Question is when handicapping this fight is can he get away with it against Saunders? I haven’t had a single shot all night is impressed with how the challenger bangs with both hands on either side both upstairs and down. In juxtaposition the champion has gone the distance in 6 of his last 8 bouts.
What to look for when first bell rings…
The champion must not come out cold and look to establish just range. Billy Joe needs to come forward behind a punishing jab and let his power be known pushing the challenger back on his heels. If this fails to materialize the “Wolverine” who gets better extension on a shorter reach will step inside the gate and hit anything that is not protected. If the 28 year old challenger finds a rhythm in the first round this fight instantly becomes a better than advertised event.
It is because the champion will likely show signs of ring rust and the manner in which he keeps his guard tucked in well that will allow Akavov inside and once he’s there he becomes very cocky and lets his hands go. The champion has a distinct edge in hand speed as long as he remains in ring center. Billy Joe is also a flat footed stylist who retreats in same fashion as the challenger. Footwork may very well be a deciding factor as to who gains control of the fight considering it is a truly rare competition between southpaws.
While I won’t buck the odds and predict a massive upset I do envision a much closer fight than fans are expecting with many rounds of heated battle. We know the champion has whiskers but no one can tell for sure how much layoff will throw off his timing and stamina. With his refusal this summer to fight any contender with a heartbeat will this be a bout of karma where he took his challenger too lightly? If Saunders is sucking wind in the championship rounds we may very well see an upset on the cards. Yes, I believe this one goes the distance. Question is how will the judges view the close rounds? Reward the champion simply because he holds the belt or will they get behind the very live underdog? Before fans think I have tapped out on Café’ Patron and giving the kid too much credit, here is another axiom to consider. Artur is a much busier fighter than Lee and Saunders did not finish strong against Eubank, JR. This has “entertaining” written all over it. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Stay tuned….
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