Subscribe
Follow Us
Canelo Alvarez landed an earth-shattering blow to Billy Joe Saunders' right eye on Saturday night in the 8th round, which led to the Mexican retaining the Middleweight title.
While the punch prevented Saunders from being able to get up and finish the full 12 rounds, it was really more serious than anyone thought. The Brit was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital with an injury that could potentially end his career.
Billy Joe Saunders was diagnosed with a quadripod fracture and a severely smashed in orbital bone, per the Athletic's Mike Coppinger. It was so badly damaged that his whole cheekbone literally caved in.
His promoter, BJ Hearn, told Coppinger that Saunders would undergo surgery on Sunday night, but it's unknown how it went at this point. Since his cheekbone was broken in four different spots, it had to be structurally fixed. The recovery period is expected to be a few months, but there's a growing belief that he may never fight again.
Article Continues Below
Obviously, getting blows to the face is a common occurrence in the ring and if there's a bad enough problem in that area, it won't be advised for Billy Joe Saunders to keep boxing.
This was Saunders' first loss after previously going 30-0 in his career. He was landing some solid shots throughout the bout, but Canelo's sheer power proved to be too much in the end.
Let's hope that Saunders can get back to full strength and possibly get back to dominating in the ring. But, it will be a long road ahead.
