At the Manchester Arena, UK, Lee vs Saunders wasn’t the classic fight fans were expecting, but did feature a significant upset in more than one way. Billy Joe Saunders knocked down Andy Lee twice en route to dethroning the WBO Middleweight champ, winning on scores of 113-113, 114-112 and 115-111. Here at Boxing Base we saw it 115-111 – definitely NOT seeing it a Draw as one judge did.
OK, to be fair to ‘that’ judge, there were far too many close rounds in this encounter. Granted. Lee started slow, as is generally the case when he enters the ring, and after being dropped hard twice – courtesy of Saunders’ right hook – was hesitant to press the action. And yeah, considering Saunders’ power had been overlooked beforehand, it was rather shocking to see him almost finish Lee in the early stages.
Lee weathered the storm, and luckily for him, Saunders decided to not press for the knockout in the 4th round, preferring to wait for Lee to make mistakes down the stretch. But with both men engaged in a calculated and cagey chess match, there was little room for fireworks, with the jab and occasional power shots deciding the victor of each round.
But it’s over now, and if you ask me, the right man got the nod. Saunders, who now leaves Manchester with a piece of the Middleweight crown, improves to 23 wins, no defeats, 12 knockouts, while Lee falls to 34 wins, 3 defeats, 1 draw, 24 knockouts.
So what’s next for Saunders? I’m going to avoid discussing his chances against Gennady Golovkin, because…well, I’m kinda of sick of comparing everyone to the Middleweight division’s boogeyman. And to be honest, there’s little chance Frank Warren, Saunders’ promoter, will want anything to do with that fight in the new year.
Before Lee vs Saunders unfolded, I would have written off Saunders as a worthy challenger to upper-tier talents such as Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin, but after witnessing his smarts and footwork – not to mention single shot power – I wouldn’t like to bet on those fights now. That said, I think both Jacobs and Quillin would ask a lot of Saunders, given they have a much higher work rate and would likely refuse to let Saunders get so comfortable.
Give us your take on Lee vs Saunders in the comments, fight fans, plus the rest of the Manchester card. And while you’re here, who would you like to see Saunders realistically in with next?
