Billy Joe Saunders' upcoming WBO middleweight title fight is official and headline a card in London's Copper Box Arena.
Saunders will be fighting Willie Monroe Jr. on September 16 in London In a press release, Saunders' promoter Frank Warren said the fight serves as a way for Saunders to fight a quality opponent and for Saunders to have a title defense so that he can eventually fight the winner of the Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez fight taking place in Las Vegas hours after Saunders vs. Monroe.
"Bill will have to be at the very top of his game to get the win on September 16th. The winner of this fight will have the missing piece on the Middleweight jigsaw, Canelo and Golovkin both want that WBO belt. If Bill comes through this fight we are pushing hard for the winner of Canelo vs. Golovkin. If Golovkin wins I hope we can do that fight in December, if Canelo wins it could be in the New Year. Bill has to go out there and prove a point, there is a lot on the line," Warren said.
In that same press release, it was revealed that WBO European light heavyweight champion Anthony Yarde and WBC Youth heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois will each have a fight on the undercard. Dubois won his title earlier this month.
Saunders was supposed to defend his title on July 8 against then-interim champion Avtandil Khurtsidze, but Khurtsidze was arrested in early June due to his alleged role in a Russian and Georgian crime syndicate.
