Canelo faced what many have described as his toughest opponent in 2021, but it was two years earlier that that fighter produced a brutal knockout on the YouTuber vs YouTuber undercard.
In 2019, YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul rematched after their first fight being declared a majority decision draw.
KSI won the fight by split decision after being knocked down, as Paul, brother of Jake Paul, was deducted points for illegal shots to the back of the head.
The undercard featured only professional boxers, even with two world title defenses building up to the main event. One world title defense that landed on the KSI vs Paul undercard was Devin Haney vs Alfredo Santiago.
Canelo’s world champion rival delivered in co-main event
In the co-main event, Billy Joe Saunders defended his super middleweight world title against Marcelo Coceres.
The card also featured Diego Pacheco, whose brother, Fed Pacheco recently faced a man 80 pounds lighter than him.
Saunders, who once fled from Deontay Wilder after throwing chicken at him, boasted an undefeated record at the time and stopped Coceres in the eleventh round in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He would go on to have two more fights before facing the Mexican superstar, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
In the unification fight, Saunders, to many, was up going into the eighth round, with commentator Chris Mannix scoring it 68-65 in Saunders’ favor. The judges didn’t see it the same way, with the scorecards reading 77-75, 78-74, and 78-74 at the end of the round.
Saunders was forced to retire in his corner after the eighth round due to a brutal uppercut breaking his eye socket. This marked a strange twist of fate, as Saunders was one of Daniel Dubois’ biggest critics after he quit against Joe Joyce for the same reason.
Saunders has not fought since, but has spoken of a comeback, though it is unclear if this will happen or not.
The one fight that can bring Billy Joe Saunders out of retirement
In an interview with Box Nation, Saunders was asked about a potential comeback, following his almost-four years out of the ring.
Saunders claimed to be happily retired, and replied: “Thankfully I’ve been quite lucky and blessed in the sport, because a lot of people end up with nothing in the game. I’m enjoying doing a bit of training at the moment.”
He did say, however, that there is one man he would fight:
“If there was a fight that would give me that urge to put them back on it would most definitely be Eubank.”
Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr. fought in 2014 for the British, Commonwealth, and European titles, with Saunders winning on a split decision. The pair’s dislike of one another is well-known, with Eubank, whose dad revealed the insult that cost him a world title, suggesting Saunders is the one fighter he doesn’t respect.
Saunders claimed that Eubank Sr. isn’t involved in the Eubank vs Benn fight due to an altercation between Eubank Sr. and Jr., though the truth of this is questionable given Saunders’ dislike of Eubank Jr.