Billy Joe Saunders' first WBO super middleweight title defense is set.
The British two-division champion will defend his title on November 9 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, per an announcement from Matchroom Boxing. Saunders will take on an opponent to be named at a later date and the fight will be on the undercard of the KSI vs. Logan Paul rematch that will be streamed on DAZN.
It has been a roller coaster 2019 for Saunders, especially in the past four months. Back in May, Saunders won a lopsided unanimous decision against Shefat Isufi to capture the then-vacant title. Afterwards, Saunders would end his promotional partnership with Frank Warren and then sign with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing.
This will be Saunders' first fight in the United States after his first attempt at doing so in 2018 failed. Saunders had failed a drug test in the United Kingdom weeks before he was supposed to defend his WBO middleweight title against Demetrius Andrade in Boston in October 2018. Saunders would not get a license to box granted to him and he later vacated his WBO title, which would later be won by Andrade when he defeated late replacement opponent Walter Kautondokwa.
Matchroom Boxing already sports the likes of WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith and interim titleholder John Ryder, fights that could be made for Saunders in 2020, provided that he emerges victorious in November. Saunders stated in a press release that he is ready for a fight against some of his fellow stablemates down the road.
?I?m looking forward to making my debut with Matchroom Boxing live on DAZN. There?s been some brilliant names signed to DAZN recently and there?s some big names on the platform. It?s time to really put my impressing shoes on and put my name out there for those big fights to be made," Saunders said.
Saunders is ranked in the top five of Fightful Boxing's rankings at super middleweight and for a full list of the top super middleweights ranked by Fightful, click here.