Billy Joe Saunders is targeting a middleweight unification fight against the victor of the expected rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
WBO champion Saunders (25-0) will make his third defence against David Lemieux (38-3) in Canada in December but has his eyes on the other belts in the division.
Golovkin (37-0-1) retained his IBF, WBA, IBO and WBC straps following a draw in his highly anticipated fight with Canelo (49-1-2) in Las Vegas last month and a rematch has been ordered by the latter governing body.
Saunders believes he should be next in line for Golovkin, or Canelo, should the Mexican come out on top when they go toe to toe again.
"I don't just want the dog meat that Golovkin has left behind, I want the dog himself," said Saunders.
"And when I come through this fight, I will have him. [Lemieux] is a mandatory, and we've agreed to a deal to go over to foreign soil and get it on. Once I beat Lemieux I'll be moving onto bigger fish - the winner of the rematch between Canelo and Golovkin. I'm looking forward to a great fight."
Saunders, 28, from the United Kingdom, is undefeated and coming off back-to-back defenses of the WBO belt he won against “Irish” Andy Lee in late 2015. Over a standout career, Saunders has defeated the likes of former WBA Interim World Middleweight Champion Chris Eubank, Jr., then-undefeated Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan and longtime contender Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe Jr.
Lemieux, 28, and from Montreal, is a thunderous puncher with tremendous power in both hands, who captured the IBF World Middleweight championship against Hassan N’Dam in 2015, knocking the then-world titleholder down four times en route to a unanimous decision victory. This year alone, Lemieux blasted out title contender Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens in a third-round knockout-of-the-year contender before earning a unanimous decision win against Marcos “Dorado” Reyes.
Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren Promotions. The event will take place December 16, in Montreal, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.
2023-10-19 19:21:04
