Billy Joe Saunders
Encyclopedia
Billy Joe Saunders is a British
professional boxer
, who after a distinguished junior career qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
.
, Hertfordshire
and fights for Hoddesdon ABC. Originally from Cheshunt, Saunders is the great-grandson of one of Britain's most famous Romany bareknuckle champions, Absolom Beeney. His father Tom, a former amateur, also admits to being involved in a bareknuckle scrap once "to sort things out, the way the Travelling community does".
The southpaw won his first 49 amateur fights at senior level in a row, including the Commonwealth Championships in 2007 and the Strandya Cup 2008 edging out Cuban Carlos Banteux.
In 2008 Saunders qualified for the Beijing Olympics
in the Welterweight division at the age of 18. Saunders qualified at the European area qualifier in Pescara
, Italy
. He beat European champion
Andrey Balanov
and Kakhaber Zhvania
, he lost his semi to Oleksandr Stretskyy before beating the Slovakian, Pavol Hlavacka for the all-important third spot. He went to Beijing
as the first person from the British Romany Gypsy
community to qualify for the games, where he was defeated in the second round of the welterweight division. He was subsequently suspended for "lewd behaviour", allegedly pertaining to an incident with a local woman during a pre-season training camp in France. In early December 2008, Saunders signed professional terms along with James DeGale
and Frankie Gavin
with Frank Warren
.
Saunders made his professional debut on 28 February 2009 at the National Indoor Arena
in Birmingham against Attila Molnar. Saunders looked confident from the opening bell, landing hard combinations which were just too much for Molnar. In round two, a series of punches that landed flush on Molnar's chin caused the referee to stop the fight and save a dazed Molnar. He won his second fight by second round stoppage of Ronny Gabel and his third fight, also by second round stoppage, of Matt Scriven. On 9 October 2009, he had to go the full four rounds to outpoint Alex Spitko. Since his fight with Spitko Saunders has helped himself to five further wins. His latest fight was an impressive second round knockout victory over Kevin Hammond.
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|11 Wins (7 knockouts, 0 decision), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Win
|11-0
|Gary Boulden
||PTS
|10
|2011-11-05
|align=left| Wembley Arena
, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|10-0
|Norbert Szekeres
||TKO
|1
|2011-11-15
|align=left| Echo Arena, Liverpool
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9-0
|Kevin Hammond
||TKO
|2
|2011-05-21
|align=left| The O2 Arena
, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|8-0
|Turgay Uzun
||RTD
|2
|2011-04-02
|align=left| York Hall
, Bethnal Green
, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|7-0
|Tony Randell
||TKO
|2
|2010-12-11
|align=left| Echo Arena, Liverpool, Merseyside, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|6-0
|Andy Butlin
||PTS
|6
|2010-05-15
|align=left| Boleyn Ground
, Upton Park, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|5-0
|Lee Noble
||PTS
|6
|2009-12-05
|align=left| Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|4-0
|Alex Spitko
||PTS
|4
|2009-10-09
|align=left| York Hall
, Bethnal Green
, London
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|3-0
|Matt Scriven
||TKO
|2, 1:21
|2009-07-18
|align=left| MEN Arena
, Manchester
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|2-0
|Ronny Gabel
||TKO
|2, 1:16
|2009-05-15
|align=left| The Odyssey
, Belfast
, Northern Ireland
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|1-0
|Attila Molnar
||TKO
|2, 1:47
|2009-02-28
|align=left| National Indoor Arena
, Birmingham
, United Kingdom
|align=left|
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, who after a distinguished junior career qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Career
"Caravan Kid" Saunders lives with his family on a Travellers' encampment near HatfieldHatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and fights for Hoddesdon ABC. Originally from Cheshunt, Saunders is the great-grandson of one of Britain's most famous Romany bareknuckle champions, Absolom Beeney. His father Tom, a former amateur, also admits to being involved in a bareknuckle scrap once "to sort things out, the way the Travelling community does".
The southpaw won his first 49 amateur fights at senior level in a row, including the Commonwealth Championships in 2007 and the Strandya Cup 2008 edging out Cuban Carlos Banteux.
In 2008 Saunders qualified for the Beijing Olympics
Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers...
in the Welterweight division at the age of 18. Saunders qualified at the European area qualifier in Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He beat European champion
2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria from July 13 to July 23. The 36th edition of this bi-annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA.-Medal winners:-Medal table:...
Andrey Balanov
Andrey Balanov
Andrey Vladimirovich Balanov is a former Russian amateur boxer best known for winning the 2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships at welterweight and being part of the Russian 2005 team at the Boxing World Cup.-Career:...
and Kakhaber Zhvania
Kakhaber Zhvania
Kakhaber Zhvania is an amateur boxer from Georgia best known to qualify for the Olympics at welterweight.At the Euro 2006 he won Bronze losing his semi to Spas Genov, at the 2007 World Championsahips he was defeated by eventual winner Demetrius Andrade....
, he lost his semi to Oleksandr Stretskyy before beating the Slovakian, Pavol Hlavacka for the all-important third spot. He went to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
as the first person from the British Romany Gypsy
Romnichal
The Romanichals are a Romani sub-group in the United Kingdom.Romanichals are thought to have arrived in Britain in the 16th century...
community to qualify for the games, where he was defeated in the second round of the welterweight division. He was subsequently suspended for "lewd behaviour", allegedly pertaining to an incident with a local woman during a pre-season training camp in France. In early December 2008, Saunders signed professional terms along with James DeGale
James DeGale
He is European super middleweight championJames Frederick DeGale MBE is an English boxer and Olympic gold medalist. He was born in Harlesden, London. He started amateur boxing at the Trojan club at the age of 10 before moving to Dale Youth boxing club...
and Frankie Gavin
Frankie Gavin (boxer)
Frankie Raymond Gavin is a British professional boxer from Birmingham who, whilst an amateur, won the gold medal at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships to become English boxing's first ever World Amateur champion....
with Frank Warren
Frank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
.
Saunders made his professional debut on 28 February 2009 at the National Indoor Arena
National Indoor Arena
The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
in Birmingham against Attila Molnar. Saunders looked confident from the opening bell, landing hard combinations which were just too much for Molnar. In round two, a series of punches that landed flush on Molnar's chin caused the referee to stop the fight and save a dazed Molnar. He won his second fight by second round stoppage of Ronny Gabel and his third fight, also by second round stoppage, of Matt Scriven. On 9 October 2009, he had to go the full four rounds to outpoint Alex Spitko. Since his fight with Spitko Saunders has helped himself to five further wins. His latest fight was an impressive second round knockout victory over Kevin Hammond.
Professional boxing record
|-| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|11 Wins (7 knockouts, 0 decision), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Win
|11-0
|Gary Boulden
||PTS
|10
|2011-11-05
|align=left| Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|10-0
|Norbert Szekeres
||TKO
|1
|2011-11-15
|align=left| Echo Arena, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9-0
|Kevin Hammond
||TKO
|2
|2011-05-21
|align=left| The O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|8-0
|Turgay Uzun
||RTD
|2
|2011-04-02
|align=left| York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
, Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|7-0
|Tony Randell
||TKO
|2
|2010-12-11
|align=left| Echo Arena, Liverpool, Merseyside, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|6-0
|Andy Butlin
||PTS
|6
|2010-05-15
|align=left| Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, Upton Park, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|5-0
|Lee Noble
||PTS
|6
|2009-12-05
|align=left| Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|4-0
|Alex Spitko
||PTS
|4
|2009-10-09
|align=left| York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
, Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|3-0
|Matt Scriven
||TKO
|2, 1:21
|2009-07-18
|align=left| MEN Arena
Manchester Evening News Arena
The Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|2-0
|Ronny Gabel
||TKO
|2, 1:16
|2009-05-15
|align=left| The Odyssey
Odyssey (Belfast)
The Odyssey Arena is a large sports and entertainment centre situated in Titanic Quarter, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was jointly funded by the Millennium Commission, the Laganside Corporation, the DCAL, the Sheridan Group and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. The Arena opened in 2000 with...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|1-0
|Attila Molnar
||TKO
|2, 1:47
|2009-02-28
|align=left| National Indoor Arena
National Indoor Arena
The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|align=left|
External links
- "Billy Joe Saunders", n°53 on TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"