Now that Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez has relinquished the title and moved up to light heavyweight, Saturday’s clash in Stevenage, England, between former WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders and Shefat Isufi will be for the vacant WBO super middleweight crown.

“I was always assured by Frank Warren and MTK that the fight would be for the full version of the world title,” said Saunders. “They told me not to get impatient when it was just the interim title. That is what I’ve done and it has happened to work out for the best.

“Being called a two-weight world champion sounds nice and it is good for the history books. Boxing is a business, but to be a two-weight world champion is something you dream of growing up and here is my chance to achieve it.

“It is the icing on the cake and I have got to deliver. It’s no good fighting for it. I’ve got to win it.”