I’M READY SO BRING IT ON
Fighter Diary by Billy Joe Saunders
In his latest exclusive diary entry, world champion Billy Joe Saunders gives us an update from his Fuerteventura training camp as his September 16 defence of the WBO world middleweight title against Willie Monroe jr at the Copper Box looms closer
I’M LESS THAN two weeks out from my fight now and I am in s**t shape, can barely get myself out of bed in the morning and I’ve not really been training hard at all.
The pictures I have posted on social media may tell a different story, but then they could always have been photoshopped!
That was the old me. The truth is I am feeling strong and fit – and I would happily fight tomorrow if I could.
I would say I am in the best shape I have ever been at this stage in my training, most definitely. But it is all about on the night, I’ve got to turn up and do the business.
Everything is going well though and I’m feeling good. I’ve got to get the win and hopefully put myself in the frame for a big one.
Doing my thing on the night is just the final piece in the jigsaw really. The hard work is done now and has been put in over the last ten weeks or so. I’ve been working and it is not going to get no harder than this.
The fight is the easy bit, it has nearly always come naturally to me and hopefully that will show again on September 16.
Last week I ‘celebrated’ my 28th birthday out here at our Fuerteventura training camp. Normally my birthdays are marked with a big Indian meal or a Chinese. This time I was in Spain eating fish!
I know I have been asked and have answered this same question many time before, but yes, I do want to keep myself in shape this time around after working so hard to get in this condition.
I have got that desire now and I have had my eyes opened by the people around me who are back in the gym the day after they box. The likes of Barry – Kid Galahad – is in the gym day in, day out.
Sometimes you can forget about boxing for a bit when you are not around it all the time. When you are around it you quickly realise what it took to get there in the first place.
With the shape I am in now and knowing how hard I have worked to get there, I don’t really want to let this shape go. When you look in good nick, you feel good too.
I am just raring to go now.
