It seems as though Chris Eubank Junior isn’t listening, or he hasn’t heard, talk of Mexican superstar perhaps calling it a career and retiring before too long. Nothing is official in this regard, but some people in the sport, Eddie Hearn for one, feel Canelo, who will turn 35 in July, is a fighter who has “done it all” and is closing in on his final fight.
There is a school of thought that suggests Canelo, 63-2-2(39) may retire after his big September fight with Terence Crawford. But Eubank Jr, fresh off his thrilling win over Conor Benn, told The Ring that he is absolutely determined to get himself a fight with Canelo. Officially, Canelo will have two further fights after the Crawford showdown, this as per his deal with Riyadh Season, and there has been some talk of Canelo liking the idea of fighting in England. And Eubank Jr wants the be the guy in the other corner if this happens.
Eubank eyes Canelo showdown—whether or not retirement looms
“He is an opponent that I have been looking at for many years now,” Eubank Jr said of Canelo. “The fans would love to see that fight. That’s a name that’s in my line of sight. We will be doing whatever we can to secure that fight in the future.”
But to repeat, the hardest thing could be enticing Canelo to stay in the sport for a little while longer after the Crawford fight. It would of course be a big event if Canelo fought in the UK, and Eubank’s name is big right about now. Certainly, a sell-out at Wembley would be a real possibility if Canelo fought Eubank Jr there next year.
Canelo or Benn? Eubank Jr wants the big-money legacy bouts
But Eubank Jr, 35-3(25) has other options, that much talked about return fight with Benn, for example. Eubank Jr is 35 years old now, and he needs to get the biggest, most lucrative fights he can get, this before his own retirement from the sport comes calling.
It could even be that Eubank Jr gets the Benn rematch AND a date with Canelo. Now, that would be lucrative stuff for the man from Brighton.
