BILLY JOE SAUNDERS has pledged part of his next fight purse to a domestic violence charity after his controversial ‘how to hit women’ video during coronavirus lockdown.
The former world champion, 30, has also deleted his Twitter account after he was banned from boxing indefinitely by the British Boxing Board of Control.
Billy Joe Saunders has pledged part of his next fight purse to charity after his sick ‘how to hit women’ video
Saunders appears to show men ‘how to hit women’ in the video
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Saunders also claimed “he does not condone domestic violence under any circumstances” in the statement released on his Instagram.
He wrote: “I would like to address the situation at hand. Let me firstly start by apologising. There is no excuse for my actions.
It was a very, very, very bad out of taste joke. I am a God-fearing man and I do not condone domestic violence under any circumstances.
“When I created the video in poor taste I never considered how people might interpret it and instead was trying to make light of the very stressful situation we have all found ourselves in and the heightened emotions of families being confined to each other’s company.
GROVELLING APOLOGY
“It did not cross my mind about the actual reality of domestic violence and its sufferers and the second I realised it could cause upset I quickly took the video down but unfortunately the way social media works, it spread like wildfire.
“I can’t change that, I have and do wholeheartedly apologise.
“I can only take actions to help people so I will be making a donation from my next fight purse to a British domestic violence charity to help victims and prevent future victims of domestic violence.”
Fans will almost certainly want him to clarify exactly how much he will donate but Saunders also said he would contribute his time by hosting self-defence workshops.
The statement continued: “I will also host some workshops and seminars on self-defence for survivors and current or potential sufferers of domestic violence.
“Unfortunately I cannot take the video back, but I can do my bit to help people who suffer or have suffered and become part of the public voice to prevent domestic violence and change future generations’ attitudes and that’s what I am committed to doing.”
Saunders has been banned from ALL boxing by the BBoC.
The WBO Super Middleweight Champion was told he was suspended until a future hearing.
Saunders has also deleted his Twitter account
The 30-year-old was forced into a grovelling apology after the vile clip surfaced, which has caused uproar across the UK.
The board said in a statement: “The British Boxing Board of Control have considered comments made by Billy Joe Saunders on social media.
“We have suspended his boxer’s licence, pending a hearing under the Board’s misconduct, at a time and venue to be confirmed as soon as possible.”
Saunders was in talks for a stunning clash with pound for pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, but his latest ban puts that fight in doubt.
During the video – that went viral on WhatsApp – Saunders demonstrated a straight right hand followed by a left hook on a punch bag.
He says: “I just wanted to make a little video for all you dads, husbands, if you’ve got girlfriends etc.
“Obviously this Covid-19 is getting very serious and we are isolated away.
“If your old woman is giving you mouth and you try to be patient, you try to be calm, cool, but after the sixth day you’re just about to explode.
I was appalled. It was so idiotic and it’s so frustrating.
Eddie Hearn
“All of a sudden she’s coming at you, spitting a bit of venom in your face, ready to say something, you may have left the dishes out, I don’t know what you’ve done but you’ve upset her.
“As she comes in, she’s coming at you and you’ve lost it, just keep it safe with the hands. So as she comes in, she’s just about to say something, all of a sudden you explode and hit her on the chin.
“At this time she may flash and see white and think, ‘What’s happened?’, she’s in a state of a horror.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on and all of a sudden you dip down on that knee and you finish her off. That should do the trick.”
Outrage at the video was widespread and Saunders even revealed that certain vile hate mail had wished death upon his kids.
‘IDIOTIC’
The boxer’s boss at Matchroom, Eddie Hearn, who signed up the Brit last year, slammed the clip as “idiotic” while TV presenter Piers Morgan branded it “absolutely horrific.”
Hearn said: “I was appalled. It was so idiotic and it’s so frustrating. I know Billy well. He’s a really good kid with a really good heart, he does a lot for the community and charity but every now and again he does the most stupid thing.”
Matchroom were in the process of brokering a mega fight between Saunders and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez – most likely in 2021.
An original May date in Las Vegas had “a deal in place”, according to Hearn, but had to be put off amid the coronavirus outbreak.
This latest controversy could nonetheless provide Canelo with the perfect opportunity to drop Saunders from the mega £7million payday, his slick southpaw style proving a tough sell to his rival’s camp and also to casual fans.
BT Sport and Frank Warren were happy when he left them to link up with Sky Sports and Eddie Hearn last year, after his vile videos taunting vulnerable people from his luxury car left him a nightmare to promote to the mainstream public.
Saunders’ last fight was his first for Sky and came on the undercard of a YouTube celebrity fight in Los Angeles in which he was booed by the millennial crowd.
Saunders fought on the KSI-Logan Paul undercard back in NovemberCredit: Getty Images – Getty
His last two UK bouts were a disappointing headline fight at his local football club Stevenage and a 2018 clash that was so low on the card BT Sport did not televise it.
In apologising for the video, Saunders asserted he “would never condone domestic violence”.
He vowed to donate £25,000 to a domestic abuse charity but they still took a dim view of his remarks.
The chief executive of Refuge, Sandra Horley, stated: “Domestic abuse is never a joke, it should never be trivialised. Doing so serves only to normalise violence against women and girls when instead we should be steadfastly challenging it.
“What sort of message does this video send to survivors of domestic abuse? That their experiences are not valid?”
It is not even the first time Saunders has courted controversy during the pandemic, having had trainer Ben Davison and stable-mate Josh Taylor kicked off a plane after he called Delta Airlines with a coronavirus warning – later insisting it was not a prank.
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn signed Saunders to his promotion in August of last yearCredit: PA:Press Association
Eddie Hearn ‘appalled by prat’ Billy Joe Saunders’ video showing men how to hit women in coronavirus lockdown
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
