Saunders: I’m way too fast for Jacobs or Quillin
Billy Joe Saunders says he’d be too fast for either Daniel Jacobs or Peter Quillin who clash tomorrow night. Saunders faces Andy Lee for his WBO crown on Saturday December 19 at the Manchester Arena, but will be watching his rivals closely to see the outcome.
The mega-middleweight fights are coming in thick and fast on BoxNation with Gennady Golovkin v David Lemieux and Miguel Cotto v Saul Alvarez super-fights already televised on the Channel of Champions.
However, Saunders says he’s not worried about the threat that Jacobs or Quillin would pose to him as his lightning hand and foot speed would be too much for them if they met.
“The middleweight division is hotting up nicely now, you’ve got Golovkin, Alvarez, and Cotto is still in there, and now these two lads’ are squaring up tomorrow night,” Said the Hatfield star.
“For me personally if I was fighting either of them, I know I’d be way to fast for them and would have a field day with them, they’re sluggers and too slow, I’m the better boxer and a boxer always beats a puncher,”
“I’d be darting in out and out, plenty of angles, variety of punches from both hands, head movement, I’m not saying I’d knock them out, but I’d comfortably out-punch and out-work them,”
“Jacobs is a good lad and he’s got the title, but I fancy Quillin in this one to beat him because he’s going to walk him down and get the decision,”
“I’ve got to get past Andy Lee first, he’s a good man, but I’m confident of beating him, and I’ve always said my eyes are on Cotto, who’s a hero of mine and I’d love to fight him.”
Langford Says He’d Give Lee or Saunders Trouble
The captivating world middleweight scene ignites into life again with Danny Jacobs defending his WBA title in a Brooklyn derby with Peter Quillin on December 5th while Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders slug it out for the WBO crown and bragging rights within the fight mad travelling community on December 19th.
Both bang-ups shall be televised exclusively live in the UK on BoxNation and one man who’ll certainly be glued to the action is unbeaten Brummie Tommy Langford.
The super stylish six footer, who holds the WBO’s Inter-Continental title and a number six world ranking, is hell bent on grabbing a date with either winner in 2016.
‘Jacobs and Quillin are two very good technicians with similar styles; very evenly matched,’ assesses Langford who has recently been ringside working ringside for BoxNation.
‘Both are tall and look to land raking straight right hands. Quillin has excellent timing but can be tentative. Against Andy Lee last time, he missed the weight and looked slow and tired whereas Jacobs is on a hot streak and looked brilliant hammering Jarrod Fletcher. I’d slightly edge to Jacobs on recent form.
‘While Gennady Golovkin looks pretty indestructible right now, neither of those two scare me. It’s the big fights on US TV that every fighter wants to be part of.’
The 26 year old sports science graduate intends scrutinising Lee and Saunders from ringside at the Manchester Arena as he is scheduled to defend his Inter-Continental title for a second time earlier that evening.
‘That’s gonna be a great boxer-banger match-up,’ says Langford who has who 14 straight with four stoppage victories.
‘Billy Joe is fighting with a lot of confidence and is very elusive. No one’s really caught him clean yet and I see him outboxing Lee for long spells and just getting across the line. But you’re never safe in a fight against Andy Lee!’
While the ex England amateur captain and multiple national junior champion holds both main eventers in the highest regard, he is respectfully confident that he already has the skill set to neutralise either.
Langford says: ‘I feel I’ve got the answers to what they bring and I can cause both problems. My first child is due in April so I’d like to get that out of the way and, ideally, I’d prefer another three or four fights so I’d be more than ready but if a chance was offered early next year I’d take it, 100%.
‘There’s two ways to beat Lee. You can bully him on the inside like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr did, or you can try to draw his hook and chin him. He’s hittable, doesn’t have the best defence and he goes over.
‘The secret with Billy Joe is to throw in numbers cos he slips and slides around single shots. He always starts very fast but if I could stay with him and maybe nick a couple of early rounds, I believe my superior fitness could tell down the straight. He tires in every fight.’
To have any chance of justifying his claims, the mild mannered midlander knows it is imperative to deliver a performance whereby he both wins and woos against his challenger to be announced on the ‘X-Mas Cracker’ undercard.
‘I want to take another step up the ladder and convince the fans and pundits that I’m improving every fight; produce another progressive performance and hopefully another stoppage.’ he concludes.
