Billy Joe Saunders has had his boxing licence suspended pending a hearing after footage emerged of him telling men how to hit their female partners during the coronavirus lockdown.
The WBO world super-middleweight champion, who has regularly courted controversy, will face a disciplinary hearing after he was videoed working out on a punchbag and demonstrating how to ‘hit her on the chin’ and then ‘finish her off’.
The 30-year-old faced widespread backlash and, in a statement released on Monday, the British Boxing Board of Control suspended his licence.
The BBBofC statement said: ‘Having 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 regulation, at a time and venue to be confirmed as soon as possible.
The suspension means he is barred from boxing under the board’s jurisdiction until they reinstate his licence.
In the vile video, Saunders said to the camera: ‘I just wanted to make a little video for all you dads, husbands, if you’ve got girlfriends.
‘Obviously this Covid-19 is getting very serious and we are isolated away in tight spaces.
‘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.
‘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,’ on the word ‘explode’, Saunders smashes into the bag with his right hand>chaosafrica
