Billy Joe Saunders (Photo : Getty Images)
The newly crowned WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders wants to cash in on his status and take on three fights this year.
According to Frank Warren, Saunders' promoter, he "ideally" wants his ward to fight three times in 2016.
He was also quoted by Boxing News 24 saying a unification bout with IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin is possible.
However, Saunders'camp knows that a fight with the Kazakh knockout artist is risky, and he wants the maximum purse. BN24 said that Saunders mentioned the amount of 4 million pounds ($6 million).
Golovkin's promoter, K2 is unlikely to give him that amount to agree to the bout. Also, it would be a long shot for Saunders to take on Golovkin right after winning the title.
In an interview with iFL TV, Warren seemingly admits that Saunders might not be ready to take on Golovkin as yet. (h/t Boxing News 24)
"The Golovkin fight is a very, very tough fight," Warren said. "We know he's a quality fighter. If the terms were right and the fight was at the right time, I'm sure we'd look at that absolutely. People underestimate Bill's punching power. Bill is a boxer, a good boxer. He can box and he can move. Styles make fights, as they say, and there has been so many upsets in boxing in the last year. I believe Bill will get better in my opinion, and hopefully we'll in the position to unify the belts."
That sounds reasonable, but the money aspect always rears its ugly head, and Warren is candid enough to admit as much.
"Of course, it's about money. It's about picking the right fights. At the moment, he' got the opportunity to choose. We're not going to be driven by nobody. I'm not going to let it happen."
