Billy Joe Saunders made Martin Murray look his age on Friday in London.
Saunders, defending his super middleweight title for the second time, outclassed his 38-year-old opponent in every way en route to a near-shutout decision that might’ve ended the career of Murray.
The victory sets Saunders up for a big fight in the coming year, as he has his sights set on the winner of the Dec. 19 fight between Canelo Alvarez and Callum Smith.
Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) had been out of the ring since November of last year, when he stopped Marcelo Esteban Coceres, but he showed no ill effects.
The Londoner gave his countryman a boxing lesson from the opening bell, picking Murray apart with a consistent jab and one accurate combination after the other to win every round on the Boxing Junkie card.
Murray (39-6-1, 17 KOs) never stopped trying and was able to blunt Saunders’ attack at times by holding him but seemed to be a step too slow and was able to land his own shots only sporadically. His only accomplishments were his ability to remain on his feet – although he went down as a result of a slip — and hear the final bell.
Thus, no one was surprised when the scorecards were announced: 120-109, 120-109 and 118-110.
Saunders, hoping to make a statement to his 168-pound rivals, probably would’ve preferred a stoppage but he can’t complain. He looked remarkably sharp given his long layoff and dominated an experienced, if aging opponent.
He was self-critical afterward but that speaks more to his high standards than his performance on Saturday.
“Tonight I tried to set rhythm but He knew how to tie up well,” Saunders said. … “I probably needed rounds. The main thing is I’m 30-0. Let’s see if I can make a big fight and get up for it.”
Saunders had a deal in place to face Alvarez earlier this year in what would’ve been the biggest fight of his career. However, it fell through as a result of COVID-19 and the sides couldn’t come to terms thereafter.
He hopes the big fight will come next for him, whether it’s Alvarez, Smith, Demetrius Andrade or Gennadiy Golovkin. He has some good victories – Chris Eubanks Jr., Andy Lee and David Lemieux, among them – but he wants to take the next step ASAP.
“It’s very important for me to do my thing [next year],” he said. “I’m not getting any younger. I just turned 31. I feel I’m in my prime. The stamina was there [Saturday] but I feel my timing was a little off. Maybe there was a little ring rust. I need rhythm for my boxing skills to come out.
“Hopefully we’ll get a big name. Obviously there’s Canelo and Smith, Andrade. I need a big fight to get up for it. OK, here we go.”
Said Eddie Hearn, Saunders’ promoter: “It must be one of them. Otherwise we’re wasting our time and wasting his career. He will fight anyone. … The pressure is on us, on Sky, whomever, to make a massive fight. If not, we might look back on Billy Joe’s career and wonder what could’ve been. We’re not prepared to do that. Let’s see how good he is in 2021.”
Murray recognized that he wasn’t good at all in what he hinted was his final fight.
That means he will have failed in five world title fights, going 0-4-1. He drew with Felix Sturm and lost to Sergio Martinez, Golovkin, Arthur Abraham and now Saunders. And he has taken enough – too much? – punishment along the way.
He wouldn’t say that he is retiring but …
“I’m feeling gutted,” he said. “… I was going to retire two years ago but I knew there was a big fight left in me, another world title shot. I did it for the enjoyment. Five times I fought for a world title, five times I didn’t get it.
“My body can’t take it. I’m 38. I just want to spend time with my family. I’ll never say never … but, yeah, I think that’s it. … I’m ready for a good rest now, mate.”