Ahead of their WBO Middleweight Title clash on Saturday December 19th at the Manchester Arena, Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders met for the BoxNation Face Off with presenter Steve Bunce. Watch the video and find some of the quotes here.
Billy Joe Saunders: “I’ve pulled something out the bag with every fight. This has all been building up to this,”
“Every fight I have, I’ve just been able to go in there and do enough even the Eubank fight. I knew I was a class above them, but in this fight it’s a 50:50 fight against a world champion, I have to go in there and pull something out the bag to take that belt!”
Andy Lee: “I have watched all your fights, I know you have always done just enough to beat those guys. But I know you are going to bring your best in this fight. He may not be as big a puncher as the recent guys, I have felt, but If I take my eye off he could knock me out, I have to respect his power.”
Billy Joe Saunders: “It’s one of those things but it will be about who gets the best start. The one who doesn’t get the best chance will have to take a risk”
Andy Lee: “Anything could happen in this fight, it could be an all-out war or a chess match.”
Billy Joe Saunders: “For this fight I will be switched on from the first to the last, if I have to fight for the 3 minutes of every round that’s what I’m going to do”
Saunders also had plenty to say about Chris Eubank Jr:
“It’s funny how people are thinking that Eubank is going to go on to be some elite fighter now he’s trained by Adam Booth, fact is he was outclassed by me, and he is nowhere near the elite level guys like myself and Andy are.
“Eubank isn’t good enough to become a recognised World Champion and he lives off his father’s name. The Lee fight is the toughest challenge of my career and I can’t be in cruise control and just win like I did against Eubank Jr.
“He’s fighting my good friend Spike O’Sullivan in December, no disrespect to Spike, but Spike didn’t win a round against me and I’m delighted that Eubank Jr. has to watch replays of me over and over again to work-out how to beat Spike, and by the way I hope Spike beats him.”
“I am involved in the only genuine World Middleweight title fight in the UK this year. After Golovkin we are the next best guys in the division and Eubank will never be at that level. Golovkin would decapitate him if they were to ever fight so his old man should probably keep quiet about saying he would beat him!”
