By Frank Warren
WE HAD TO put our thinking caps on and get a bit creative when it came to identifying the ideal location to stage the WBO Interim super middleweight world title fight between Billy Joe Saunders and Shefat Isufi.
Potential avenues towards staging the fight in London were exhausted before we struck on the idea of showcasing Billy Joe on his home patch, so we are giving Hertfordshire a whirl.
Given that many fight fans hail from the county and the fact that we are based nearby, I am not sure why we have not considered it before, but we are now and we are all set to go on May 18 and I would like to thank everyone at Stevenage FC for their great assistance and co-operation.
Stevenage is an easily accessible venue, with parking available and the train station nearby, which can be reached in just 20 minutes from Finsbury Park.
It is sure to be a special night under the lights at the Lamex Stadium and I know it is an occasion that Billy Joe, in particular, is looking forward to as he bids to put himself back amongst the world title belts.
It would be fair to say that the title status of this headline fight will remain fairly fluid until a bit nearer the time. There is a chance, if WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez is successful in his first venture up to light heavyweight on April 12, that he will revert to his original plan of action and campaign at the new weight.
If that is the case then Billy Joe and Shefat will be fighting for the vacant full title. If Ramirez continues to hedge his bets then they will fight for the Interim title and will be next in line to challenge the unbeaten Mexican champion.
Isufi is putting his position on the line as the current mandatory challenger, so we shouldn’t take anything for granted and assume a straightforward night’s work. The Germany-based Albanian is on a ten-fight winning streak since coming down in weight, first from cruiserweight and then light heavyweight.
Taking that into consideration, there is a strong likelihood that the 29-year-old will be coming in big and Bill will be giving a fair chunk of weight away. This is where Bill’s typically elusive style will have to come into play.
Bill wants to be in big fights and we want to deliver them for him. The thinking behind this one at super middleweight is to get him back in the title mix, which will give him leverage when plotting the next steps.
There are plenty of options at super middle, where the title picture remains fragmented, and big fights to be made. There is no reason why Bill shouldn’t be involved in them if he keeps his focus because, for me, he is the best out there on his day.
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