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The WBO has officially ordered a fight between newly-crowned middleweight titleholder Andy Lee and mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders, with the parties having 30 days from December 13 to come to an agreement, or the bout will go to purse bid.
The minimum bid for the fight would be $200,000 if it gets to that point, and as champion, Lee would get 75% of whatever the total wound up being from the bid.
Lee (34-2, 24 KO) rallied from an early deficit to knock out Matt Korobov on December 13, winning the belt that Peter Quillin had vacated earlier this year. Saunders (21-0, 11 KO) outpointed Chris Eubank Jr on November 29 in his last fight, winning a much-hyped grudge match and WBO eliminator, so this decision from the WBO was certainly expected, and is more a formality than anything.
When these two meet, who do you favor? Lee has shown real vulnerability but big power in his recent wins, while Saunders has been unbeaten at the UK domestic level and the European level, but has not faced someone with Lee's power, it wouldn't seem.