Billy Joe Saunders gives Canelo vs GGG rematch verdict, believes it wasn’t a blatant robbery
The WBO middleweight champion has had his say on the new WBA and WBC title-holder
Billy Joe Saunders believes Canelo Alvarez’s rematch victory over Gennady Golovkin was not a blatant robbery as some have suggested.
Mexican superstar Canelo defeated Kazakh warrior GGG to claim the WBA and WBC middleweight titles on Saturday night in Las Vegas, though many felt Golovkin did enough to win a close fight.
WBO middleweight champion Saunders has now had his say on the bout, dismissing suggestions the decision was an egregious one.
“It was close,” the 30-year-old told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT.
“When you’re champion you can’t just get pipped at the post, you’ve really gotta get it took off you in my opinion.”
While the majority of ringside observers scored the fight for Golovkin, most admit that there were multiple ‘swing rounds’, which could belong to either man.
Cries of robbery in Saturday’s rematch were potentially contributed to by the fact that most people believe GGG was genuinely robbed in the pair’s first meeting, a controversial draw last year.
“I personally think that, take the belts away, you could flip a coin and you couldn’t really argue,” continued Saunders.
“But with Golovkin being champion, you can say maybe that warranted a draw more than the first one.
“It is what it is. It’s boxing at the end of the day, it wasn’t a blatant robbery.
“It was a close fight and you can’t really cry over it, put it that way.”
Billy Joe Saunders' next fight against Demetrius Andrade will be live on talkSPORT, October 20