As all fight fans have surely read, Mexican star Saul Canelo Alvarez has given up his WBC middleweight title and basically handed it over to unbeaten Kazakh puncher Gennady Golovkin. For the time being, that particular super-fight will have to wait; even though Canelo – who has been dubbed “yellow” by some angry fans who feel he has shown fear by continually avoiding GGG – maintains he will face him and will defeat him. We’ll have to take Alvarez at his word on that one.
But one fighter who is always willing to talk a lot, in once-beaten middleweight Chris Eubank Junior, does not feel GGG, who now holds all the gold at 160-pounds, is deserving of being looked at the best middleweight in the world. Not only that, but Eubank Junior – who has been claiming for months now that he can beat Golovkin (or, more accurately, his dad, former world champ Chris “English” Eubank Senior has been saying this) – says he would fight GGG “tomorrow” if he could.
That won’t happen, as we all know – instead Eubank Jr, 22-1(17) will face unbeaten but largely unknown Tom Doran, 17-0(7) on the under-card of the Anthony Joshua-Dominic Breazeale card on June 25th. Eubank Jr will defend the British title he won with that brutal, career-ending win over an exceptionally brave Nick Blackwell. But soon enough, Eubank Jr says, he will be challenging for a world title, and he says he has the tools to beat the avoided Golovkin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17dks87kMZY
“[I’ll fight him] right now, tomorrow if possible,” Eubank Jr told his Sky Sports interviewer. “This guy is considered the best middleweight in the world and for me he doesn’t deserve that position. For me, I feel like I have the tools to beat him so let’s get it on. I really believe I’ll be in the ring fighting for a world title towards the end of the year. I need to get a couple more fights, defend the British belt a few times, then jump in there and win myself a title belt.”
Of course, it is quite a jump from the Nick Blackwells and the Tom Dorans of the world to Gennady Golovkin. Will Eubank’s team, bossed by his father of course, really take the fight if it is offered to them or if Eubank Jr gets in line for a shot? It’s a big ask to expect the 26-year-old with the 22-1(17) record – the loss coming to Billy Joe Saunders a year-and-a-half ago – to be competitive with GGG, much less actually beat him. But Golovkin has to fight someone and soon. Fast running out of good opponents who are willing to fight him, maybe GGG will hear what Eubank Jr has to say and smile at the idea of a name contender who is calling him out.
With Canelo seemingly further away from a fight with him than ever (despite that Alvarez says, can any fan of his really make the claim that he really wants the fight?) Golovkin needs young dudes like Eubank Jr to show what they’re made of. Certainly, there are worse challengers and less intriguing fights out there for Triple G.