Billy Joe Saunders vows to fight on after having successful surgery on his broken eye socket following devastating stoppage defeat by Canelo Alvarez
- Billy Joe Saunders lost the biggest fight of his life against Canelo Alvarez
- The Brit was retired on his stool at the end of the eighth round of Saturday's fight
- Saunders suffered a bad injury to his orbital and cheek bone from an uppercut
- He had an operation on his broken eye socket but has now vowed to fight on
Billy Joe Saunders has vowed to fight on after successful surgery on his fractured eye socket.
The 31-year-old’s career looked in serious danger after a fierce uppercut from Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on Saturday night stopped their super-middleweight unification fight in the eighth round in Dallas.
Promoter Eddie Hearn warned he will be out for a ‘long, long time’ afterwards.
![Billy Joe Saunders has vowed to come back after his devastating defeat against Canelo Alvarez](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/10/20/42813194-9563441-image-a-16_1620673805372.jpg)
Billy Joe Saunders has vowed to come back after his devastating defeat against Canelo Alvarez
![The Mexican delivered a brutal uppercut to inflict an horrific injury to Saunders on Saturday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/10/20/42813234-9563441-image-a-17_1620673809405.jpg)
The Mexican delivered a brutal uppercut to inflict an horrific injury to Saunders on Saturday
But after his operation on Sunday, Saunders wrote on Facebook on Monday night: ‘Broken eye socket and broken cheekbone in three places — operation yesterday, all went well.
'You win some and lose some. Didn’t feel out (of) my league but got caught with a good shot and couldn’t see.
‘Thank you all who watched. I’ll be back, God bless you all.’
Saunders will struggle to recover not just from his busted eye socket but far more traumatically from the abandonment of his 'no surrender' code.
![Saunders was retired on his stool by his corner and needed surgery on his injured bones](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/10/20/42812172-9563441-Saunders_was_retired_on_his_stool_and_has_had_to_have_surgery_on-a-19_1620673905765.jpg)
Saunders was retired on his stool by his corner and needed surgery on his injured bones
![Eddie Hearn said there are big fights out there for Saunders still, Eubank Jr rematch included](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/09/16/42764478-9559347-image-a-2_1620574428958.jpg)
Eddie Hearn had said the Brit could decide to retire, having already won two world titles
Hearn had said he 'may decide to retire because he's won his two world titles and done all he wanted in boxing,' but Saunders has now insisted he will be back.
There may however not be another fight as massive as this one, in which Alvarez rejuvenated the boxing world with his dramatic termination of an initially clever and spirited effort by Saunders.
There was one final humbling for Saunders as Canelo's trainer Eddie Reynoso admitted this was not one of his man's best performances.
And the multi-champion himself said: 'This one was easier than I expected.'
Most watched Sport videos
- Fitness experts distinguishes between NRL and Olympic athletes
- OnlyFans Olympian Alisha Newman shows off pole vault outfit choices
- Letslie Tebogo delivers savage remark after winning gold
- Noah Lyles' Olympic rival speaks out after the 200m final
- Fans react to Ellie Aldridge winning gold in kitesurfing at Olympic
- Team USA serenade A'ja Wilson as WNBA star celebrates 28th birthday
- IShowSpeed is challenged to a race by Polish Olympic sprinting star
- Awkward moment Anthony Ammirati gets his crotch stuck on crossbar
- Katarina Johnson-Thompson shares a glimpse of her training
- Rebeca Andrade reacts to Simone Biles' bow to her after winning gold
- Paris 2024 Olympics: Day 11 highlights
- Adorable footage of a tiny Simone Biles at junior competition