Rewind to September of 2016, and middleweight great Gennady Golovkin, at the peak of his powers or thereabouts, was close to fighting British star Chris Eubank Junior right here in the UK. The fight, though, fell apart, the jokes soon coming think and fast regarding how Eubank, guided of course by his father, “couldn’t find his pen.”
In a nutshell, Eubank Jr didn’t sign on for the fight in time, with Eddie Hearn later stating how Eubank Snr was an absolute nightmare to try and negotiate a deal with. In stepped welterweight titlist Kell Brook, who took it upon himself to really and truly dare to be great, and Brook, game though he was, was busted up and stopped in five rounds.
Is Golovkin Serious About a Comeback in 2026?
Now, almost a decade on, there is, quite incredibly, some talk of Eubank Jr fighting Golovkin today. Golovkin told BoxingScene this week that he is considering coming back for one more fight, this at age 43, and Eubank Jr, upon hearing this and then being asked by Sky Sports if he’d be interested in fighting “Triple-G” all these years after he could have done, answered with a “why not?”
“Why not?” Eubank said in regards to possibly fighting Golovkin after his November 15 rematch with Conor Benn. “He’s a legend of the sport. If the fans wanted to see a fight like that, I don’t know if they do, but if they did, absolutely.”
Would GGG Still Have Too Much for Eubank Jr?
So, do the fans want to see a GGG-Eubank Jr fight some time in 2026? Is Golovkin even the slightest bit interested in facing Eubank, 35-3(25) if he does actually go through with his, let’s call it temptation to box again? If the fight did happen – and, without a doubt, it’s a big if – we would most likely watch it. Golovkin is not the awesome, avoided and for a time unbeatable destroyer he once was, but GGG has kept himself in shape and maybe he could roll back the years for one more.
Eubank Jr, who also says he wants to fight Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, must get past Benn a second time before he can think about fighting anybody else, but we have heard the British star call out the big names before.
It really would be wild if Eubank did face Golovkin now, almost ten years after he could have challenged him but thought better of it, no doubt wisely. Even now, though, would Golovkin, 42-2-1(37) be too tough, too good, and too clever for Eubank?
Who would the fans root for if Golovkin and Eubank did actually fight?