In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and drama at Billy Joe Saunders’ weigh-in ceremonies.
You may remember how, ahead of the most recent defence of his WBO middleweight title, Saunders laughed as his son punched opponent Willie Monroe Jr. below the belt as the fighters took to the scales in London.
The WBO champ’s son was nowhere to be seen on Friday, when Saunders and challenger David Lemieux weighed in ahead of their clash in Canada, and it was lucky because there was plenty of aggression and nudity on display.
Tempers flared when Lemieux stripped off to make weight, as Saunders’ trainer Dominic Ingle accused the Canadian of missing the target.
“He’s after missing weight,” Ingle roared. “I want him on the scales again.”
After the commissioners confirmed that Lemieux had come in on weight, Saunders showed himself and shouted: “Pussy boy” before he decided to ditch his own boxers unprompted.
You can't try cheat on scales 😂😂😂
— billyjoesaunders (@bjsaunders_) December 15, 2017
Both men were then given the chance to quickly rehydrate and calm down but the final face-off was predictably intense as they stared into each other’s eyes for the final time before sharing the ring in Quebec’s Place Bell.
On Thursday, Saunders had proposed a huge bet with his opponent which involved the winner picking the charity to which the loser had to donate a large sum.
“David, if you are that confident, we will put £375,000 on it, my lawyer is here to sort it out,” Saunders said.
“If you beat me, you can choose what charity I give it to and vice versa when I win.
“That is if you’re game to do it. If you’re not getting as much as £375,000 then we can always negotiate what purse you are getting.
“That’s irrelevant, if you’re willing to match that then I am too. That’s how confident I am of beating him.”
