Billy Joe Saunders
British boxer (born 1989)
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Key Takeaways
- Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British former professional boxer.
- At regional level, he held the European, British, and Commonwealth middleweight titles between 2012 and 2015.
- In the same year, he won gold at the EU Championships.
- Early life Originally from Cheshunt, Saunders grew up in a Romanichal travelling community near Hatfield, Hertfordshire.
- Amateur career Saunders fought for Cheshunt Amateur Boxing club and also at Hoddesdon Amateur Boxing Club.
Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British former professional boxer. He is the first fighter from the Romanichal to win world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2015 to 2018 and the WBO super-middleweight title from 2019 to 2021. At regional level, he held the European, British, and Commonwealth middleweight titles between 2012 and 2015. Saunders represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics as an amateur, reaching the second round of the welterweight bracket. In the same year, he won gold at the EU Championships.
On 19 December 2015, Saunders made history by competing in the first world title fight contested between two members of the travelling community with his opponent Andy Lee; Saunders won the bout by majority decision to become WBO middleweight champion.
Early life
Originally from Cheshunt, Saunders grew up in a Romanichal travelling community near Hatfield, Hertfordshire. His great-grandfather, Absolom Beeney, was one of the community's most famous bare-knuckle boxers.
Amateur career
Saunders fought for Cheshunt Amateur Boxing club and also at Hoddesdon Amateur Boxing Club. Saunders won his first 49 amateur fights at senior level, including the 2007 Commonwealth Championships and the 2008 Strandzha Cup, edging out Cuban Carlos Banteux. In 2008 Saunders qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the welterweight division at the age of 18. At the European area qualifier in Pescara, Italy he beat European champion Andrey Balanov and Kakhaber Zhvania, but lost in the semi-final to Oleksandr Stretskyy before beating Pavol Hlavačka for the all-important third spot. to become the first person from the British Romanichal community to qualify for the games.
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