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WBO super middleweight world champion Billy Joe Saunders has issued an apology for a video in which he can be seen advising men how to hit their female partners during the coronavirus lockdown.

In the video which went viral on social media, Saunders threw two punches at a bag in his barn, saying this was how men could manage "if your old woman is giving you mouth".

"As she comes in, she's just about to say something, all of a sudden you explode, bam," the 30-year-old said in the video while demonstrating how to "hit her on the chin" and "finish her off".

Saunders, after receiving fierce backlash on social media, on Sunday apologised if he "offended any women".

"I would never condone domestic violence and if I saw a man touch a woman, I would smash him to pieces myself," Saunders said in a post on Twitter. "Apologies if I offended any women, stay blessed."

Saunders, who retained his title by beating the Argentinian Marcelo Esteban Coceres in Los Angeles in November, had been scheduled to fight the Mexican Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in May, but the contest has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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