‘Don’t tell me he stopped because of his eye’: Women’s star Bridges weighs in as Saunders quits in brutal title defeat to Canelo

Women’s boxing star Ebanie ‘Blonde Bomber’ Bridges has waded into the online row surrounding Billy Joe Saunders’ stoppage defeat to Mexican sensation Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Texas on Saturday night.

Alvarez added the WBO super middleweight crown to his WBA and WBC titles as the Mexican forced Saunders to quit on his stool after the eighth round in front of 73,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Alvarez landed a vicious uppercut which rocked Saunders and sealed his right eye shut, forcing the Brits’ team to call off the contest as their man was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken orbital bone.

The defeat came after a bitter build-up to the fight during which Saunders threatened to back out over a row involving the ring size and taunted his Mexican rival as well as members of the foreign press.

Many claimed that Saunders got his just deserts inside the ring at the destructive hands of Alvarez, while others accused him of lacking the heart to fight on despite the disturbing damage to his eye. 

One person to question the stoppage was Bridges, who suffered a gruesome eye injury of her own during her WBA women’s bantamweight title fight to Shannon Courtenay back in April, but battled through to complete all 10 rounds.

“Don’t tell me he stopped cos of his eye......,” questioned Bridges on Twitter, before screaming “BJS was in that fight!!”

“I thought my eye socket was broken too but thankfully it wasn’t. Hopefully neither is BJS,” Bridges added in a later tweet.

Some fans were nonplussed by the comment, though, with one sarcastically replying: "You were being hit by Shannon Courtenay... an 8 fight novice who started boxing a few years ago because she was fat. He was hit by Canelo Alvarez, the p4p best fighter on the plane."

"The fact he can’t open his eye says it all. Slightly different Canelo spanking you than Courtney," read another response, to which Bridges replied: "True but I still wouldn’t never quit I rather get KOed lol." 

Some fans shared gleeful messages at Saunders’ misfortune, even bringing up the fighter’s own words about boxers having to be “carried from the ring” rather than quitting.

Elsewhere, fellow British boxer Chris Eubank Jr shared his goading elation after placing a £10,000 wager on Saunders getting stopped.  

In reality, the injury to Saunders was a horrific one and fighting on would have risked far more serious consequences for the Brit.

“His eye socket was caved in, he couldn’t see,” said Saunders’ coach Mark Tibbs afterwards. “I didn’t get the response I wanted from him. It’s frustrating really because I felt he was growing into it.” 

Alvarez knew instantly that he had applied devastating damage, raising his arms in the ring seconds after landing the shot.

“I think I broke his cheek. The truth is I knew it,” Alvarez later said.

More sensible observers on social media noted the severity of the injury, with combat sports pundit Ariel Helwani tweeting: “If/when it comes out BJS has a broken orbital will all the tough guys calling him a quitter apologize? Y/N? Crazy talk out there.”

Others credited Saunders' team with taking the right step to call off the fight. 

Saunders – who was backed by an entourage including world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – had never tasted defeat in 30 fights before facing Alvarez.

He will be forced to recover and regroup, having fallen to the 30-year-old Mexican as so many before him have done.

Alvarez, meanwhile, claimed a 56th victory in 59 fights, with his sole loss remaining a decision defeat to Floyd Mayweather back in 2013.  

His attentions immediately turned to capturing the sole super middleweight title not in his possession – the IBF crown held by American Caleb Plant.

“I’m coming my friend,” Alvarez said in the ring after sending Saunders packing.