Eddie Hearn: “The Eubanks missed the deadline, but Eubank can fight the winner [of GGG-Brook]”

As the boxing world gets to grips with the stunning news that was announced yesterday how Gennady Golovkin will face Kell Brook in London on September 10th, a certain Chris Eubank Junior and his immediate future is a somewhat interesting proposition. As fans know, Eubank Jr was, we thought, all set to take the challenge and fight GGG this year – Golovkin even Tweeting how he had signed on for the fight – but in the end he did not sign in time, losing the fight to his countryman Brook, a welterweight (albeit a massive welterweight.

So what next for Eubank Jr? His promoter Eddie Hearn says there is a still a huge future for the reigning British middleweight ruler and that he could even wind up fighting the winner of September’s mouth-watering clash between Golovkin and Brook – who have between them 71 fights, all wins.

“I’ve worked for three weeks on that fight and negotiating with Chris Eubank Senior felt like three years,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “We got into a position where everybody was ready to sign; he was offered the same pay-per-view deal and structure as Anthony Joshua and Carl Froch and the one that Kell Brook accepted. Unfortunately they made the deal impossible and certain things they wanted were just a complete no-go. They were given a deadline and they chose not to take the fight. There’s a huge future for Chris Eubank Junior, in fact he can fight the winner later on in the year. He missed his out this time but I’m sure he’ll get his shot in due course.”

From what Hearn says it makes you wonder if he’s not already working on yet another huge fight deal for one of his stars! But what about Eubank Junior; is his father – who other promoters such as Frank Warren have also said is a complete nightmare to negotiate with – running the risk of spoiling his son’s potential? Who really missed yesterday’s deadline: the fighter or the father? It really did seem as though Eubank Jr wanted to fight GGG – “for real” as he said himself. Who knows who he will fight next instead, or if he will get his shot at the September 10th winner (which most experts and fans feel will be GGG, but Brook is certainly a very, very live underdog here). Eubank Jr, though, is running the risk of being remembered as a frustrating talent who never lived up to his potential.

Unless of course this was a smart move – a very smart move – by dad all along; knowing as he did that his son would get an even bigger payday against Golovkin or his successor later this year. Giving Eubank Snr too much credit? Yeah, probably.