Billy Joe Saunders bashes Martin Murray for 12-round decision

Billy Joe Saunders successfully defended his super middleweight title against Martin Murray and looked good doing it in a fight that went the distance. 

WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders made a successful return to the ring on Dec. 4, after more than a year out of it.

Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) won the title in 2019 in a decision over Shefat Isufi. Longtime veteran Martin Murray was Saunders’ latest opponent, but he met the same fate as the 29 boxers that fought Saunders before him.

Murray (39-6-1, 17 KOs) briefly held the interim WBC middleweight title in 2012 but dropped it five months after winning it. At 38 years old, Saunders likely represented Murray’s last crack at a world title. His performance against Saunders looked like the end of the road for Murray’s 13-year professional boxing career.

Billy Joe Saunders kept a perfect record by easily out-pointing veteran Martin Murray

Murray was never competitive against Saunders in an empty SSE Arena in Wembley. He had a hard time letting his hands go, and his reflexes looked badly diminished. However, Murray still had his battle-tested chin as he absorbed wicked shots to the head and body from Saunders all night.

Murray had five losses on his record headed into his contest with Saunders and was only stopped once in all that time. Gennadiy Golovkin TKO’d Murray in the 11th round back in 2015.

Saunders tried to put Murray away, but Murray’s resolve to stay in the fight was his one victory of the night. After the 12th and final round, the judges awarded Saunders an easy-to-score unanimous decision. Two judges had Saunders pitching a shutout, while one scored it 118-110. With the loss, Murray’s career is probably over.

During a fight week media call, Saunders was adamant about having a unification bout in 2021. Will that be his next contest, or will he have to wait? The new year should prove eventful for the super middleweight division.