By Dan Ambrose: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn says IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s promoter has mostly agreed to the negotiations for a fight between Triple G and #2 WBA, #2 WBC middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. (22-1, 17 KOs) for a fight in September in the UK. Hearn believes the Golovkin vs. Eubank Jr. fight will bring in 40,000 fans.
Hearn sees it as a huge pay-per-view fight. The Golovkin-Eubank Jr. fight can take place if Golovkin’s promoters want the fight, and he thinks they do. Eubank Jr. will need to win his next fight against Tom Doran (17-0, 7 KOs) on June 25 at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
Eubank Jr. will be defending his British middleweight title against the domestic level fighter Doran. The fight is seen as a mismatch by most boxing fans. However, Hearn thinks the fight could be competitive, and he sees Doran as dangerous fighter. Doran’s low 41% knockout percentage would suggest otherwise.
“When we signed Eubank, he said, ‘I want the Golovkin fight. Go and get it.’ So that’s what I’ve been doing, and we are in deep negotiations with him. We’ve given him a wonderful deal. We’re pretty much agreed. We need to beat Tom Doran next Saturday, and then if everybody really wants the fight, it gets made. Wembley is not available. It’s difficult running an outdoor event in September time. I think it could do 40,000. I think it’s a huge pay-per-view fight. I know he’s [Eubank Jr.] a huge favorite to beat Tom Doran. Doran is dangerous and he’s got to keep his head down. I think as long as everyone wants that fight, an all the words from the camps, they do, I think Eubank-Golovkin has a great chance of getting made,” said Hearn.
Golovkin is technically still in the running for a fight against Golden Boy Promotions star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for a big mega-fight on September 17 in the U.S. However, it’s doubtful that GGG will get the fight unless he agrees to likely a catch-weight of 155lbs, and a purse split that is heavily tilted in Canelo’s favor. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture Golovkin needing to agree to a 90-10 purse split in Canelo’s favor on top of a catch-weight of 155lbs for him to get the fight with the Mexican star.
If Golovkin agrees to all of those things, he might get the fight with Canelo. I don’t think it would be a lock that Golovkin would get the fight against Canelo no matter what he agrees on unless he accepts the fight for free. I don’t think Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions fancies the Golovkin fight right now. He’s fighting at too high of a level right now and is far too dangerous for them to put their golden goose Canelo in with him to be plucked clean.
Speaking about the Eubank Jr-Doran fight, Hearn said, “I think it’s a dangerous fight. I know Eubank is a big favorite, but Doran can whack and he’s a decent little boxer. I think if he can get through the first three rounds, I think he’ll be competitive in that fight.”
Doran, 28, stands no chance of beating Eubank Jr., but it’s not surprising to see Hearn talk up the fight, because that’s his job as a promoter.
If Hearn were to openly point out that the Eubank Jr. vs. Doran fight is a mismatch, then some boxing fans might not want to purchase the June 25 card on Sky Box Office pay-per-view. The fight fans want to see competitive fights, not mismatches involving world class fighters like Eubank Jr. fighting domestic level fighters like Doran, who aren’t ranked in the top 15. This fight is a mismatch on paper and it will be lucky if it sees the fifth round.
“All the Eubanks are talking about is Golovkin. I just hope they’re not forgetting the fight next Saturday [against Doran]. The kid can fight. They want to be with Matchroom and Sky 100 percent, but we have to deliver for them,” said Hearn.
Eubank Jr. is a good contingency plan for Golovkin in case he doesn’t get the fight against Canelo in September. If Canelo and Golden Boy gives him a rotten deal in the negotiations, then Golovkin can move on and take the fight with Eubank Jr. if they can’t stomach fighting at a catch-weight and taking a much smaller percentage of the revenue.
Fighting Eubank Jr. will be a nice payday fight for Golovkin, and it’ll give him a great deal of exposure in the UK. It’ll also look good on HBO Championship Boxing to be seen fighting Eubank Jr. in a large stadium in front of 40,000 fans. Fighting in front of a large crowd will make GGG like a star, and it will likely create more fans for him in the U.S despite Eubank Jr. not being a household name over there.