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Home » EXCLUSIVE: Billy Joe Saunders on why GGG fight was never acceptable

EXCLUSIVE: Billy Joe Saunders on why GGG fight was never acceptable

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Saunders pulled out from a domestic bout with Murray on two separate occasions, a hand injury being the cited as the first and a hamstring injury causing him to cancel the rescheduled contest.

The WBO titlist, who looks set to make a fourth defense in September, admitted his career is more important than him than any pound note offered.

Responding to Murray, the undefeated middleweight exclusively told World Boxing News: “The beauty with me is, I’m financially secured for the rest of my life – I earn more money in property and other things than what I do in boxing, so I can so no to things when I’m injured and not ready for fights.

“I don’t have to get in the ring and fight for financial reasons whereas he does, and he has done in the past. He’s boxed for a world title four times and lost every single time and that’s because he’s always been a prostitute for promoters.

“First of all, he was with Eddie Hearn and he was the best thing since sliced bread, now he’s with Frank Warren and he’s the best thing happening. He just gets used. He gets used as an opponent and that’s all he’ll ever be – an opponent,” he said.

The 28-year-old has recently been ordered by the WBO to take on former two-time light-middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS vs GGG

Saunders was linked with a unification showdown with GGG before the Kazakhstani accepted an offer to rematch Canelo Alverez, who will return following a six-month ban after failing a drugs test.

The Londoner refuted claims that he would have taken a risk for the reward in fighting Gennady Golovkin this summer. He said: “Would I have been ready for GGG in August? Most definitely not. Was it big money offered? Yes.

“Warren said there were talks with Golovkin but I knew it was bull**** anyways from his (GGG) team. Would I have been fit to have got in the ring with him in August? No. I was injured, I had a calf problem and I wouldn’t chance that for a few pounds.

“I’m going in there to win these fights – that’s what the difference in between Martin Murray and I, he knows what it’s like to get in the ring and get beat where I wouldn’t take all the money in the world to get in there and lose a fight.

“That separates the world champions and the elite fighters to the British and European level.

“I’m injury-free, I’m fit and back training to get ready to take on whoever that may be in September,” Saunders concluded.