By Jake Donovan

For the first time in 17 months, Billy Joe Saunders can officially look forward to a title fight.

The brash Brit seeks to become a two-division titlist, as he and Shefat Isufi both made weight ahead of their vacant super middleweight title fight Saturday evening at Lamex Arena in Stevenage, England.

Saunders (27-0, 13KOs) weighed in right at the 168-pound limit, while Isufi (27-3, 20KOs) tipped the scales at 167.4 pounds.

Minor trash talk and a half-assed hand gesture from Saunders made comprised of their obligatory post weigh-in staredown.

Saunders’ last official title fight came in Dec. 2017, when he turned in a near flawless performance versus David Lemieux on the road in Canada. He was prepared to once again hit the road for a mandatory defense versus Providence (R.I.)-bred Demetrius Andrade last October in Boston, Mass.

The bout hit the scrap heap, however, after Saunders tested positive for banned substance Oxilofrine, which resulted in his being denied a license by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission. Because he couldn’t compete at the scheduled site, it was deemed by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) that he was unfit to defend his title and therefore stripped of the strap.

The sanctioning body has since absolved him of his sins, with its super middleweight title at stake on Saturday. As a bonus, Saunders fights mere minutes from his Hatfield hometown.

Isufi travels from his adopted hometown of Munich, Germany, but with Saturday’s affair looks to become the first-ever Albania-born boxer to win a major title. He enters the fight having won his last 10 starts.

Also on the show, 2016 Olympic Silver medalist Joe Joyce puts his perfect record on the line as he faces Alexander Ustinov in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight heat.

Joyce (8-0, 8KOs) checked in at a primed 261 pounds for his second straight fight in his native England after a brief run in the United States. Saturday’s affair marks a rare occurrence where the 6’6” heavyweight will be at a height disadvantage versus the 6’7½” Ustniov (34-3, 25KOs), a Russian heavyweight now living in Belarus who weighed a near-career heaviest 283.3 pounds.

An all-United Kingdom dustup pits unbeaten 21-year old prospect Brad Foster and super bantamweight gatekeeper Ashley Lane in a 10-round regional title fight.

Foster (10-0-1, 3KOs) weighed 120.75 for the affair, slightly heavier than Lane (13-8-2) who registered at 120.6 pounds in hopes of extending his six-fight win streak.

The show will air live on BT Sport in the United Kingdom and will stream on ESPN+ in the United States.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox