The WBO middleweight champion’s first world title defense has been revealed today.
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WBO undefeated World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders will defend his title against “Mad” Max Bursak on Saturday April 30 at the Copper Box Arena, London.
As far as first title defences go it might be an unispiring choice to some fans, but there is also the school of thought that says he has just won the belt, and is entitled to at least one soft’ish home defense. After all, he did just fight former world champion Andy Lee to win the belt.
With a record of 32-4-1-15 KOs with only three wins in his last six bouts, WBO #11 ranked Max Bursak from Kiev in the Ukraine looks to be a safe’ish choice for Saunders’ first title defence, after reportedly turning down a massive payday to fight middleweight king pin Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin in a proposed showdown in the UK recently.
Talking about the bout, Saunders said today:
“Nothing comes easy in boxing and I’m definitely not taking Bursak for granted. He’s a good, good, fighter and very dangerous and if I don’t come in 100 percent, then he could cause an upset in my first title defence.”
Max Bursak is a good, solid fighter, but is considered by some to be a boxer in decline at the top level, and shouldn’t present Saunders (23-0-12 KO) who won the WBO title by outpointing Ireland’s Andy Lee at the Manchester Arena back in December, with too much problems one would have thought.
Nonetheless, it will be good to see the talented Billy Joe back in the ring and applying his skillful trade.
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