KEY POINTS

  • Billy Joe Saunders is unlikely to return to boxing soon
  • Saunders' orbital injury will likely recur 
  • Canelo Alvarez is eyeing Caleb Plant as his next opponent

Billy Joe Saunders got the worse end of it when he faced Saul "Canelo" Alvarez over the weekend.

The British pugilist lost by technical knockout to Alvarez but suffered a double whammy when he came out of it with a fracture to his orbital bone.

The win allowed Alvarez to add the WBO belt to his collection of super middleweight titles. The Mexican already holds the WBA , WBC, and The Ring straps.

It was also Alvarez's 20th straight win in the boxing ring--with only one loss in his record.

While Alvarez is now looking ahead to figure out his next foe, the same cannot be said for Saunders.

Saunders is expected to be out for quite some time as he tries to recover from the injury. According to his promoter Eddie Hearn, that may take a while.

“He’s going to be out for a long, long time,” Hearn was quoted as saying after the fight.

According to The Athletic, Saunders’ injury is similar to the one that Kell Brook suffered when he faced Gennady Golovkin in 2016.

Brook sustained a fractured eye socket from that defeat against "GGG" and sustained a repeat injury in 2017 to the opposite eye when he lost to Errol Spence Jr.

Saunders caught the injury in the eighth round when Alvarez landed an uppercut. It was at that point where the 31-year-old had trouble opening his eye.

His trainer Mark Tibbs informed the fight that Saunders would not continue even if his pupil disagreed. It was the Brit's first boxing career loss.

"He's got a family. He's got children. I've known him a very, very long time. He lives to fight another day," Tibbs stated.

Mexican champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (left) throughs a punch at British boxer Billy Joe Saunders during their super middleweight title fight at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Mexican champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (left) throughs a punch at British boxer Billy Joe Saunders during their super middleweight title fight at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Matchroom Boxing / Ed MULHOLLAND

Saunders had already gone successful surgery to repair the fractured right orbital bone.

According to a Matchroom Boxing spokesman, Saunders fractured his eye socket in three different places in the aftermath of the brutal encounter.

Worth noting is that Saunders may never be the same once he does return to the ring, meaning future hits could mean a similar or worse injury.

As for Alvarez, the name of Caleb Plant has been suggested and it could happen in September.

Alvarez made that clear although everything will still hinge on negotiations.

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