This weekend at the Manchester Arena, UK, Andy Lee will defend his WBO Middleweight title against rising undefeated talent, Billy Joe Saunders. Lee has been in with the bigger, more capable names, and carries the greater firepower, but will meet a hungry, slick operator in Saunders. Stylistically, this should be an absorbing match-up to close out the year.
The winner will of course move a step closer to a meeting with Gennady Golovkin, which yeah, is kind of a given. But the fact is – short of switching weight class – all roads lead to the Kazakhstan ruler. Other potential ‘GGG’ opponents for 2016 include Daniel Jacobs, Canelo Alvarez and Chris Eubank Jr.
As it stands, Lee currently holds the No.3 spot in Boxing Base’s Middleweight Rankings, while Saunders isn’t far behind at No.6.
Before you make your pick ahead of Saturday night, check out our Lee vs Saunders Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats. Note: Advantageous stats are indicated in red (some may be subjective), and championship stats refer to ‘fully fledged world titles’ only.
Andy Lee vs Billy Joe Saunders
Physical/Vital
Birthplace
UK … UK
Age
31 … 26
Height
6′ 2″ … 5′ 11″
Reach
75″ … Unobtainable
Stance
Southpaw … Southpaw
Record (Pro)
Debut
2006 … 2009
Bouts
37 … 22
Wins
34 … 22
Defeats
2 … 0
Draws
1 … 0
No Contests
0 … 0
Knockout Ratio
65% (24) … 55% (12)
1st Round Knockouts
6 … 2
2nd Round Knockouts
4 … 7
3rd Round Knockouts
1 … 0
4th – 6th Round Knockouts
6 … 1
Defeats by Knockout
2 … 0
Knockdowns Suffered
3 … 0
Rounds Boxed
207 … 127
12-Rounders Completed
1 … 6
Current Winning Streak
7 … 22
Undefeated Fighters Defeated
4 … 5
Latest Win
Peter Quillin (SD 12) … Yoann Bloyer (TKO 4)
World Title Bout Experience
Wins
2 … NA
Defeats
1 … NA
Draws
1 … NA
No Contests
0 … NA
Successful Defenses
1 … NA
Longest Championship Reign
1 year … NA
Major Titles Won
WBO (160 lbs) … NA
Major Titles Currently Held
WBO (160 lbs) … NA
Notable Performances
LEE: Peter Quillin (SD 12), Matt Korobov (TKO 6), John Jackson (KO 5), Ferenc Hafner (TKO 2), Darryl Cunningham (TKO 1), Anthony Fitzgerald (PTS 10), Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (LOSS TKO 7), Brian Vera (UD 10), Craig McEwan (TKO 10), Mamadou Thiam (RTD 2), Affif Belghecham (PTS 10), Anthony Shuler (TKO 8), William Gibbs (TKO 10), Jason McKay (RTD 6)
SAUNDERS: Chris Eubank Jr (SD 12) Emanuele Blandamura (KO 8), John Ryder (UD 12), Gary O’Sullivan (UD 12), Matthew Hall (UD 12), Nick Blackwell (UD 12)
There you have it, fight fans! Based on our Lee vs Saunders Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats, plus your own take, how do you see this domestic rivalry concluding at the weekend?
Lee vs Saunders, which will air Live on Boxnation, will headline a Frank Warren card on Saturday, December 19th. We’ll have Live Results right here on Boxing Base, plus Live Round by Round Updates over on Twitter (@BoxingBase).
