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Saunders eager to finalize undisputed unification with Golovkin

Billy Joe Saunders says he’s ready and willing to head to Kazakhstan this summer to unify titles with Gennady Golovkin.

Boxing at Paisley Lagoon Centre Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images
Wil Esco is an assistant editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2014.

There’s been lots of talk about a potential middleweight title unification this summer between Gennady Golovkin and Billy Joe Saunders, and now Saunders all but confirms it in a report by World Boxing News. Saunders says now that Golovkin has taken care of business with Daniel Jacobs, he wants to finalize the proposed deal for a June 10th fight in Golovkin’s native Kazakhstan.

“I’m just waiting on the contracts being sent. I need to know soon because I need to move my own career on,” Saunders exclusively told World Boxing News.

“Obviously, I would love a dream unification fight and I’m willing to travel to Kazakhstan. Willing to fight in his backyard and give him everything his own way. I just want to know as we are ten weeks out, will he fight or will he not?”

Saunders continues by saying he’s a better fighter on the road and when he’s facing a good opponent and that he’s now “literally pounding at his door for him to sign the fight and get the date announced.”

If there’s any hesitiation at all on Golovkin’s part, it could possibly be due to Golden Boy recently dousing cold water on the hopes for a big fall showdown against Canelo Alvarez if Golovkin fights this summer. Then again, Golovkin has made it clear that his main goal has always been to unify all the middleweight titles and a fight against Canelo, although lucrative, wouldn’t help him accomplish that.

So Golovkin would likely be better off by calling Golden Boy’s bluff and making a Saunders fight no matter what. Saunders currently holds the WBO middleweight title which represents the last major title not in the hands of Golovkin. If the pair were to unify titles this summer, we’d have ourselves an undisputed world champion - something about as rare a unicorn these days.

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