Billy Joe Saunders' quest to become the first traveller to claim a boxing world title could be unhinged this weekend when Limerick southpaw Andy Lee gets first dibs at the currently vacant WBO middleweight strap.

The former Irish Olympian – born in London and a distant relative of Tyson Fury – squares off with Russia's former two-time world amateur champion Matt Korobov in Las Vegas. BoxNation screen live in the UK. Saunders is guaranteed first crack at the winner.

Boxing writer Glynn Evans called the reigning British, Commonwealth and European champion to discuss Saturday's showdown and his own future intentions.

What are your brief reflections on your recent points win over Chris Eubank Jr which earned you the right to challenge whoever wins on Saturday night?

Getting the win was very pleasing. There was a lot of pressure on us both going into the fight but I felt that I handled that very well.

I've new respect for Chris Jr but only as a fighter but I'm really not sure what fight the judge who had Eubank ahead was watching. Perhaps they were influenced by the crowd. Though he was swinging wildly, he hardly landed. Rounds one to six were so easy for me. I've had harder spars to be honest. Beforehand, everyone was harping on about his power but that didn't bother me at all. I proved I've got a good chin but I always knew that.

My one disappointment was that, at times in the second half of the fight, I deviated off Jimmy (Tibbs)'s game plan. I started to allow the crowd to get in the way. I got drawn into a bit of a war and the next thing we're having a slugfest. But I learned a lot from the fight. There'll be big improvements next time I fight.

Would you approach a rematch differently?

I'd change small bits but I'm not really thinking about a rematch any time soon. If he'd beaten me, do you think he'd have given me a rematch?!

People need to remember that it was a voluntary defence. I chose to fight Eubank Jr, I didn't have to. For some, he'd generated a lot of fear from what he was supposed to be doing in sparring yet I was happy to place all me belts plus my WBO ranking on the line to accept his challenge.

But it's done now and I've a world title to pursue. The Eubanks only say they want a return for the financial side of it. Still, if he wants me to beat him up in public again, I'm sure it can be arranged a bit further down the line.

I've not really thought too much about my next step, to be honest. I'm taking two weeks off to spend some time with the family then I'll start training again and think about what I want to do. Ideally, I'd like a warm up fight or two before my world title challenge because I've not been overactive this last year. My last four opponents have all been unbeaten so I wouldn't mind something easier, to sharpen my tools.

You're guaranteed at a crack at the winner of this weekend's vacant WBO title fight between Limerick's Andy Lee and former crack Russian amateur Matt Korobov. Is that an easier option than Brooklyn's unbeaten Peter Quillin whom you were initially primed to challenge?

I don't really know. I wouldn't say there was much in it. Lee and Korobov are both good punchers but 'Kid Chocolate' (Quillin) has greater strength and is probably a bit rougher than those two.

If you take (WBA Super champion) Gennady Golovkin out of the equation, all the other middleweight champions are as good as each other. They couldn't afford a bad night if they faced each other.

To be honest, if I could pick any of the champions to face I'd chase (WBC king) Miguel Cotto because, style wise, he'd suit me down to the ground. He chugs forward but doesn't have the highest work rate and isn't a huge puncher at middleweight.

Fighting him at Madison Square Garden would be my dream. I've watched and admired him since I was a young boy so to share a ring with him would be a real honour.

Your own amateur career ran parallel with the Korobov's. Were you aware of him back then?

Definitely. Everyone was. He was unbelievable, won the European championships and the World championships (twice). We'd all stop and watch him. He stopped James DeGale in the amateurs and had every shot in the book.

So what are his qualities...and what doesn't he do so well?

Back then, he did very little wrong. He had quick feet, great power and speed plus some really good angles. I loved watching him.

But back then he was struggling in poverty back home in Russia. He's since been given bundles of cash to turn pro in the US and I believe that's thrown him off track a bit.

He's found the pros different. He's definitely taken his time to get to world title level and you have to question his desire now. As a pro, he's started to load up on his shots which he never did as an amateur. Consequently, he 'dies out' in the later rounds.

Also, at 31, he's definitely not as quick with his feet as he once was. He used to control top level amateurs with his feet but can't do that anymore.

Look, he's still a very good fighter. I just think he may get found out at world level. I know I've got some stuff that would unsettle him.

Does it rile that Andy, who's also from travelling stock, could steal your thunder and become the first gypsy to win a world title?

Definitely not. He's an Irish traveller and I'm a Romany but I wish the very best of luck to him.  I've known Andy since he was 12, 13 year(s) old and I genuinely hope it works out for him. I know him very well. We're mates, certainly not enemies. Down the line, it'd be a huge fight between us.

What's your assessment of him as a fighter?

Andy's a good boxer. He's got a very good jab, uses his height well and clearly he's got a bit of a dig as he showed in his last fight when he stretched Julian Jackson's son (John).

But he has been exposed a couple of times. He looked terrible the night he beat Anthony Fitzgerald in a really close fight early last year.

He's been stopped twice by Brian Vera (2008) and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (2012) but he was still on his feet. He ain't got a bad chin. Still, I've always been of the opinion that the best chins are the ones that don't get tested.

In the past, I don't think he's had the right promotional or management team behind him. In my view, there was no need for him to take the (WBC) world title fight with Chavez Jr. That was never the right course to go, at that time.

You get to fight the winner of Korobov-Lee in the New Year. How would you set about beating them both?

I believe the way to beat Korobov is to keep him busy. He's still so grounded in the amateur game that I don't believe he can fight at pace for 36 minutes. You'd need to turn up super fit, stay in front of him, sliding side to side, make him miss, then counter with threes and fours. And you'd have to maintain that for 12 rounds. I have to say I really fancy my style against Korobov.

For Andy, you'd really need to bring your 'A Game', and a very good game plan. Anything less and you'd fall short. Fighting him wouldn't be easy.

I think you'd have to work with him and outbox him; bull inside, without getting careless.

OK, 'head on the block' time. Who wins Saturday night?

It's going to be very interesting to watch. I expect both to give a little bit extra from what they've shown before as a world title is on the line.

I'm anticipating something similar to my fight with Eubank Jr, a fight of two halves. Andy's quite a big underdog (11-4 against) but I definitely see him being in the fight for the first four rounds or so. He's a tall upright southpaw. But after that I expect Korobov to start to take over. He can punch.

It's not 100% one way or the other and my head keeps chopping and changing but I edge towards Korobov on a close points decision. It'll be very tight but he's effectively got home advantage.