Canelo Alvarez’s coach issues classy recovery message to Billy Joe Saunders after Brit has surgery on broken eye socket
CANELO ALVAREZ's head coach Eddy Reynoso has wished Billy Joe Saunders a speedy recovery from his orbital injury.
Hatfield hitman Saunders suffered a quadripod fracture to his right orbital in his ill-fated super-middleweight unification fight with the pound-for-pound king last weekend.
A picture-perfect counter uppercut from Canelo in the eighth round caved in Saunders' skull and brought about the end of the Dallas dust-up.
Saunders underwent surgery the day after the injury, which Reynoso hopes he recovers from quickly.
He tweeted: "On behalf of the entire team that make up the Canelo team, we wish you a speedy recovery and that you continue on in your wonderful champion career !!
"Blessings @bjsaunders_."
The severity of Saunders' injury will keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, told iFL TV: "You could see as soon as he hit him that he'd done his eye socket.
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"I think because he couldn't see, the next round was going to be a bad situation.
"I think he would have got badly hurt in that round.
"He's gone to hospital and I believe he'll have that operated on immediately. So he's going to be out for a long, long time.
"But he's a world-class fighter who lost to the pound-for-pound number one. He's a two-weight world champion.
"If he wants to carry on there's some big fights out there for him.
"He may feel he has got to a stage where he's been there, he's done it, he's seen it all. We'll back him 100 per cent."
Despite coming up short in the biggest fight of his career, the previously undefeated Saunders has vowed not to walk away from the sport.
He wrote on his official Facebook page: "Thanks everyone for msg.
"Broken eye socket and broken cheekbone in three places - operation yesterday, all went well.
"You win some and lose some. Didn't feel out 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."