Billy Joe Saunders vs Shefat Isufi: Frank Warren reveals three-man wish list should Brit capture world super-middleweight title
The former WBO middleweight king is set for a huge fight in the second half of 2019 should he triumph on April 13
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Frank Warren has revealed a three-man wish list for Billy Joe Saunders should he prevail in his world super-middleweight title fight against Serbian Isufi.
Saunders can become a two-weight world champion with victory over the Munich-based Serbian, with previous champion Gilberto Ramirez destined to campaign at light heavyweight after moving up in weight.
The next fight for the former WBO middleweight king could be a huge domestic fight, with Warren admitting he had previously failed in his attempts to match him with Gennady Golovkin at 160 pounds.
With the addition of a world title again, Saunders could be in a prime position for a big fight later in the year.
“We signed for Golovkin twice and that didn’t happen, so we’ve got to make something happen,” Warren said.
“Callum Smith, DeGale or Eubank, the harder the fight is for Bill, the more you get out of him.”
Saunders triumphed over Eubank Jr on points back in 2014, whilst Smith recently became the WBA Super super-middleweight world champion after knocking out George Groves. Eubank Jr takes on DeGale on Saturday, meaning the winner could quickly emerge as the most obvious choice for Saunders.
Saunders failed a drugs test last year, forcing him to drop his world title and scrap his fight against Demetrius Andrade in the United States, with the American winning the vacant belt against Walter Kautondokwa.
The 29-year-old rebounded against Charles Adamu in his first bout in a year in December and now appears to be back on the straight and narrow with Isufi slated for April 13 at the SSE Arena.
Saunders next fight was announced at the same press conference following Tyson Fury’s new ESPN and Top Rank deal.
Fury’s rematch with Deontay Wilder is now in jeopardy, with the American connected to rival network Showtime in the United States.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments