Tag Archives: Billie Joe Saunders

Billie Joe Saunders vs. David Lemieux Odds and Prediction

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The WBO middleweight title fight between Billie Joe Saunders and David Lemieux will take place on December 16th, 2017 in Montreal, Canada.

The undefeated Saunders is coming off back to back title defenses of the WBO belt he won from Andy Lee in 2015. In his standout career, Saunders defeated Chris Eubank Jr., Gary Sullivan and Willie Monroe Jr.

Huge Motivation

Lemieux captured the IBF middleweight title by knocking out Hassan N’Dam in 2015. Since his loss to Gennady Golovkin, Lemieux has won four in a row including a knockout of the year candidate against Curtis Stevens.

According to promoter Oscar De La Hoya, Lemieux would be in line to fight Canelo Alvarez if the latter’s rematch with Golovkin fizzles. That’s of course if he beats Saunders convincingly so that’s a huge motivation for the Canadian slugger.

Tough Fight

Saunders is the mild favorite here at -120, while Lemieux is at even money (+100). This is going to be a very tough test for Billie Joe Saunders not only in terms of the quality of the opponent but because he is fighting outside his home country for the first time in his career.

Lemieux meanwhile will be fighting in front of his countrymen. And although Lemieux  has two losses in Canada, both of those fights were in 2011. Lemieux has racked nine consecutive wins in Canada and with the crowd behind him, it’s got to play a big factor here.

More Punching Power

But given Lemieux’s shaky chin, Saunders has a good shot at winning this bout by knockout. Two of Lemieux’s three losses were by knockout so given his high work rate and combinations, he may be able to topple Lemieux.

However, Lemieux has more punching power and has the ability to walk down his opponents and personally, that should be what decides this fight. Both men are going to land their shots but Lemieux will hit and land harder.

This is a battle between two aggressive fighters and the one who has more power should be victorious. We’re picking David Lemieux to win this fight by stoppage.

Billie Joe Saunders vs. Willie Monroe Odds and Prediction

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WBO middleweight champion Billie Joe Saunders defends his world title against American challenger Willie Monroe on September 16th, 2017 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.

Same Date

Coincidentally (or not ?), this fight happens on the same day Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin dispute majority of boxing’s middleweight belts in Las Vegas, Nevada. Saunders wants a piece of the winner of that bout and if he wants to get noticed, he will have to put on a solid performance against Monroe.

Saunders won the WBO belt in 2015 after defeating Andy Lee via majority decision at London’s Manchester Arena. He has defended the belt only once, defeating Artur Akavov in an unimpressive decision in Scotland last December.

Second Try

This marks Willie Monroe’s second attempt at winning a world title. The 30-year old American southpaw was knocked in six rounds out by Gennady Golovkin during his first crack at the middleweight crown in May of 2015. Since that defeat, Monroe has won back to back fights, decisioning John Thompson and Gabriel Rosado in his two fights last year.

By the time Monroe fights Saunders, it will be exactly one year since his last fight. Saunders himself is coming off a long layoff. And it will be interesting to see who is in better shape. With the winner possibly facing the Canelo-GGG winner, both men are expected to go all out for the victory.

Odds and Prediction

Saunders is currently the favorite at -260 at Bovada and Monroe the underdog at +200. Monroe has the quickness, athleticism and southpaw stance can make it difficult for Saunders to find his comfort zone. The American is known  for his defense and outstanding ability to counter punch but he also has good lateral movement and an outstanding chin. Remember he’s only been dropped once in his career and that was courtesy of Gennady Golovkin. The only drawback on Monroe is his lack of punching power as he has not recorded a knockout since 2013.

Saunders meanwhile is the better all-around fighter between the two. He also has the clear advantage in terms of punching power. Given his skillset and his opponent’s lack of power, Saunders should be able to walk Monroe and wear him down with body shots. Again, Monroe will make a good match out of this but in the end, the better and more powerful puncher should take this fight. We’re not writing off Monroe because of his athletic ability but given that this is his first fight outside the United States, he’ll likely fall against Saunders.

We’re picking Billie Joe Saunders to win this fight by decision or late stoppage.