Ricky Hatton has no problem if Billy Joe Saunders retires from boxing after losing to ‘f****** animal’ Canelo Alvarez

Ricky Hatton has absolutely no issue if Billy Joe Saunders decides to walk away from boxing having sustained a gruesome eye injury against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

A booming right uppercut from the Mexican pound-for-pound superstar marked the beginning of the end for Saunders, who failed to come out of his corner for the ninth round of their super-middleweight world title clash.

4

Saunders was rushed to a Texas hospital instantly, where a fractured eye socket was diagnosed and his career was placed into jeopardy.

At the age of 31 and with world titles in two different weight categories, the Brit admitted to talkSPORT he is considering calling time on his career after all he has achieved.

Although close friend Tyson Fury has urged the 168lbs superstar to not retire, former world champion Hatton insists Britain is proud of Saunders and suggested a move into the world of punditry could be a great fit.

He wrote in the : “Billy Joe Saunders is a clever man and a clever fighter and only he knew how bad that injury was against Canelo. You can’t judge him.

4

“People who have judged him haven’t laced up a pair of gloves in their life. You don’t know what he went through. And none of us know except Billy what the after effects of that injury are.

“I heard reports that it will heal quickly – that’s all well and good. But it was the same for Kell Brook after he fought Gennady Golovkin.

“It is alright saying, ‘he will be back’. But with an injury such as the one Billy Joe got, every time you get hit you will know the pain that came from it last time. It must be an underlying problem that will never go away.

“And I think that might be one of the main reasons for him retiring. He might think ‘I can’t go through that again’ because you might not be able to guarantee that the injury won’t come back again at any time.

4

“And it doesn’t matter what the doctors tell you, if that’s at the back of your mind, he needs to get out. So I think he would be doing the right thing.

“Billy is a two-weight world champion, the only person to beat him is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a f****** animal who is beating everyone.

“When you look at how Canelo has destroyed some people, for Billy Joe to put in the performance he did, with an injury which could consequently make him go into retirement, it is another box ticked.

“Job done, Billy. We are proud of you.

4

“He could be a very good pundit! The only thing is he doesn’t do things by the script. But I do think on TV, too many go by the script and the studio guests do seem a bit plastic, they put the suit and tie on and it is as if they have been told what to say.

“So I think there is a market there for Billy Joe to come in. He certainly isn’t going to say what the promoter wants him to say, he is going to say whatever the f*** he wants.

“As long as he minds he’s Ps and Qs and doesn’t say anything too controversial like he has done in the past, I think he would be very good for boxing and very good for TV.”