Billy Joe Saunders V Chris Eubank Jr.: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
Billy Joe Saunders (20-0, 11 KOs) and Chris Eubank Jr. (18-0, 13KOs) will finally go head-to-head in their highly anticipated grudge-match on Saturday with Saunders' EBU middleweight title on the line, as part of the undercard for the heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora, at London's ExCel Arena.
The two rivals have been trading insults for years, and the vitriol has only intensified in the weeks leading up to this clash between the undefeated British boxers.
Saunders took the title from Italy's Emanuele Blandamura in July and expressed his hopes this bout would function as a WBO title eliminator, a request the organisation granted. As a result, Saturday's bout will be about much more than two rivals settling their differences inside the ring.
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Date: Saturday, November 29
Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET
Venue: ExCel Arena, London
TV Info: BoxNation (UK)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Saunders' Experience vs. Eubank Jr's Confidence
Oddschecker currently favours Saunders by a narrow margin (4/5 against 6/5), much to the surprise of the defending champion, who said, per The Independent's James Orr, he sees the bout as a one-sided affair:
"I’m feeling great, the best I’ve ever been in my career, my weight is perfect, I’m just where I want to be. Everything has been done in training camp and I’ve left no stone unturned, I couldn’t have done anymore and now it’s all on the line on Saturday night - there’s going to be fireworks. The boxing world seems to be split down the middle deciding who is going to win between us, I can’t see the reason why because for me it’s a clear cut victory for me, but everyone will see the reason why this Saturday.
"
His reasoning is understandable, of course—Eubank Jr. is taking a huge step up in class compared to his previous opponents, while Saunders is a European champion facing his fourth undefeated fighter in a row.
Blandamura, John Ryder and Gary O'Sullivan all had unblemished records when they stepped into the ring with the 25-year-old, according to BoxRec. One knockout win in the eighth round and two unanimous decisions later, Saunders is still undefeated.
So is Eubank Jr., but the class of fighters he has so far faced looks quite different. His biggest win came on the same night as Saunders captured the EBU belt, a TKO triumph over Ivan Jukic.
Ringnews 24 chose the right caption for its tweet:
"The Tested Vs The Detested: Billy Joe Saunders Vs Chris Eubank Jr #boxing #boxingheads http://t.co/yoNgfHDfOb pic.twitter.com/0jU5sR4FCF
— Ringnews24 (@ringnews24) November 27, 2014"
Eubank Jr. is an excellent fighter, following in his father's footsteps in more ways than one. Eubank Sr. was an untested fighter when he faced off with Nigel Benn in 1990, shocking everyone by knocking the then-champion out in the ninth round.
Could Saturday's bout follow a similar script? One factor certainly plays in the 25-year-old's favour:
Bad Blood
To say there's been some choice words spoken in the past months would be an understatement. As reported by BBC Sport, Eubank Jr. decided to avoid a media event earlier this month, and when he was asked why, he told BT Sport:
"I respect the business of boxing so much, which is why I didn't come to the press conference, because Billy Joe Saunders is unprofessional about things he might do and say.
That brings a bad light on British boxing and we need to stay away from things like that. My job is to get in the ring, beat him and take the belts.
"
If you believe that sounds reasonable, you have to know Eubank Jr. isn't one to shy away from talk—after beating Omar Siala in a warm-up bout, he called Saunders "Average Joe," according to BBC Sport:
"The main fight is against average Joe. The best is yet to come. This guy didn't deserve to fight me. I took this fight because I'm a fighter. Even if I did get injured I still would have fought Saunders - and beat him.
You saw the power my punches were causing to the other guy.
"
Like his father, Eubank Jr. loves to talk as much as he can before his fights, in an attempt to knock his opponent off his game. In 1990, it worked against Benn, and the scenario for Saturday looks quite similar.
Stopping Power vs. Endurance
Saunders is a big puncher, but he prefers to do most of the heavy lifting toward the body and never rushes his fights. Five of his last seven bouts have gone the distance, but those five decisions were always unanimous ones.
Eubank Jr has never been involved in a fight scheduled for 12 rounds, and he's never gone past eight. He packs some serious knockout power but lacks his opponent's all-round set of skills, and no one knows how his conditioning will hold up until he's actually forced to fight double-digit rounds.
Conventional wisdom dictates the accomplished Saunders has the advantage, but so did Benn in 1990. In that fight, the champion had been so worked-up over the constant verbal assaults he was determined to knock Eubank Sr. out, tiring himself in the early rounds.
If this fight goes the distance, Saunders has to be the favourite with the judges. He moves well, has impeccable timing and solid accuracy, and his background as an Olympian shows in how he treats the ring.
But in a grudge-match like this, the pace is always just a little higher, with both fighters determined to inflict some real damage. If Saunders reaches for the knockout, Eubank Jr's power will have a chance to shine.
Prediction: Saunders' experience on the biggest stage makes the difference. A (close) unanimous decision sees the champion retain the title.
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