Billy Joe Saunders Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank in 1990. Saunders went on to defeat Eubank via split decision; two judges had scores of 115–114 and 115–113 for Saunders, with the third judge scoring 116–113 for Eubank. Having secured his third defence of the British middleweight title, Saunders earned the Lonsdale Belt outright; he gave this to his father Tommy as a Christmas present. With the win over Eubank, Saunders was in line for an opportunity to fight WBO world middleweight champion Andy Lee. In February 2015, Saunders and Warren accepted a 'step-aside' financial offer from promoter Lou DiBella in order for Lee
Chris Eubank Jr. can stand up to my power and I'll only get better and stronger. I'm ready for a title fight now." On 10 May, at the Olympia in Liverpool, Eubank dropped Polish boxer Robert Swierzbinkski (13-2, 3 KOs) seven times, eventually stopping him in round 7. Eubank was then added to a 7 June card, two days prior to it taking place at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle. It was said that a win would move Eubank closer to a potential grudge match with Billy Joe Saunders, who was challenging for the vacant European title in July. Czech boxer Štěpán Horváth