- Billy Joe Saunders has promised to ‘retire’ Martin Murray on Friday evening
- Saunders will defend his WBO super-middleweight title at Wembley’s SSE Arena
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19
Billy Joe Saunders sends warning to Martin Murray ahead of their super-middleweight clash.
Billy Joe Saunders is targeting major fights next year but the WBO super-middleweight champion’s immediate aim is to bring fellow Briton Martin Murray’s professional career to an end on Friday evening.
Saunders will make the second defence of his 168lbs crown at the SSE Arena, Wembley, against Murray, who has fought for a world title on four occasions, with at least two ending in debatable points decisions.
Only once in a 45-fight career in the paid ranks has Murray been outclassed – stopped in 11 rounds by Gennady Golovkin in 2015 – but Saunders believes another loss will lead to his 38-year-old rival bowing out of the sport.
Saunders, a two-weight world champion who has won all 29 of his professional fights, said: ‘I want the (Daniel) Jacobs fights and the Canelo fights and the (Demetrius) Andrade fights now, but everyone was tied up this year.
The pair were supposed to meet twice in 2018 but on both occasions, the fight was called off because of injuries to Saunders, who scaled 11st 13lbs 5oz at Thursday afternoon’s weigh-in.
Belfast fighter James Tennyson takes on unbeaten Canadian Josh O’Reilly in an eliminator for the WBA lightweight title on the undercard.
Shannon Courtenay, meanwhile, will be bidding to get her career back on track after losing to Rachel Ball last time out. The popular super-bantamweight faces Dorota Norek in a bout scheduled for eight rounds.
