By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten #9 WBO contender Rob Brant (20-0, 13 KOs) is interested in challenging WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) for his next fight on September 17 on the undercard of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Liam Smith card. Saunders, 27, still doesn’t have an opponent picked out for his initial title defense, the 25-year-old Brant would like to be the guy that faces him.
Brant is currently scheduled to fight on August 7 against an opponent still to be determined at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, California. However, it’s possible that he could be pulled from that card to fight Saunders if the interest is there from the British fighter.
Saunders has to fight someone eventually because he still hasn’t made his first title defense of his WBO belt after winning it seven months ago in December. It was thought that Saunders would be an active champion after he picked up the WBO belt, but he’s proven to be totally inactive. He suffered a hand injury that wiped out a title defense against Max Bursak last April. There wasn’t a heck of a lot of interest in that Saunders-Bursak fight, and you have to wonder why such a mediocre opponent was selected.
