By Charles Brun: Chris Eubank Jr. says Billy Joe Saunders is cherry picking opponents in hopes of eventually getting a big payday fight against him. Eubank Jr. says that Saunders WON’T be getting a match against Saul Canelo Alvarez because he’s only interested in taking easy fights to keep in line for an eventual rematch with him.
Eubank Jr. says he beat Saunders (28-0, 13 KOs) in their fight in 2014, as far as he’s concerned. That’s why it’s not especially important for him to face him again. It’s already redundant. Eubank Jr. is more interested in establishing himself as a star in the United States now that he’s signed with Al Haymon and Showtime to have his fights staged in the U.S. His main target is WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. Once Eubank Jr. has his scalp, he wants to go after best of the rest.
Eubank Jr. (28-2, 21 KOs) is fighting Matt Korobov (28-2-1, 14 KOs) next month on December 7 on Showtime at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Saunders is DYING to fight me – Eubank
“Saunders has kind of fallen off my radar,” said Eubank. “There’s so much money for me to make out there, and so much money that can be made with so many names for me personally, that Saunders is kind of like, it’s more personal. We’ve got that history. It becomes a business, and I can get business anywhere and everywhere. Saunders can only make money fighting me. That’s the only way he’s going to get a big payday. He’s never had a big payday his entire career. So he’s dying to get in the ring with me so he can make a lot of money.
“I’ve had the big paydays. I’ve got the big paydays coming. So for me it’s not such a huge thing anymore. Obviously, if there’s an opportunity to make the fight in the future. I’m never going to say no because we’ve got to set the record straight. But so many years have gone by now that I’m definitely NOT holding my breath.
“It’s not the be all and end all. I think I beat him in the first fight. A lot of people feel the same way. So it’s not as if I’ve got something to prove. It’s not like he beat me up and embarrassed me or anything. It was a split decision. So for me, it’s not about personal vendettas. It’s more about what the best strategy for me to make my name on the world scene,” said Eubank.
Saunders’ career hasn’t taken off due to the match-making that’s been done for him. Yeah, he’s stayed unbeaten, but he’s also not been fighting quality opposition. The last time Saunders fought a good opponent was in 2015 in his match against Andy Lee, and he also lost that fight.
Chris Eubank Jr. says he’s going to be a savage at 160
“I saw the fight, and I thought he won the fight,” said Eubank Jr. to Fighthype about Korobov’s match against Jermall Charlo. “I’m not taking him lightly. He’s a very experienced, hardened veteran in the game. I’m coming to make a statement. And I’m back down at middleweight, my real weight 160. I’m going to be a savage at 160. Most of my career has been at 160.I couldn’t say no to the money.
“There are too many big money fights up there [168] at that weight. So I was willing to give away the size difference. But now with PBC, Showtime and Al Haymon, I have a great contract with them. There’s a lot of great fights at middleweight now. That’s for me to know and you to find out on December 7th,” said Eubank Jr. when asked how he’ll deal with Korobov.
Eubank Jr. will need to show some boxing skills for him to dominate the top guys at middleweight, because he looked VERY raw in his loss to George Groves. Chris struggled like crazy against Groves, who mostly jabbed and threw right hands.
Eubank planning to stop Korobov
“I’m going to stop the guy,” said Eubank. “I’m going to do what Charlo didn’t do, and I’m going to make a statement and takeover the division. When I win the fight, that fight [against Charlo] will take place at some point next year.It’s inevitable. We are two big names in the division, and that’s a very exciting fight for the fans to see. He’s very beatable, and he has a lot of flaws in his style. He gets hit really easy. I would definitely handle him savagely, and I would take him apart 100 percent. It would be a war for him for sure,” said Eubank Jr.
It’s going to be difficult for Eubank Jr. knockout Korobov, because this guy has only been stopped once in his career against Andy Lee in 2014. Korobov stood up to the power from Jermall Charlo last December, and arguably beat him. Although the judges scored it for Charlo by a controversial 12 round decision, most boxing fans had Korobov winning.
Eubank wants to make a name for himself in U.S
“Al Haymon is a mastermind. PBC, Showtime, they have a solid plan for me, and Korobov is who they have chosen for me to fight first out here,” said Eubank Jr. to IFL TV. “He’s well known in the boxing world, and he’s a tough opponent. I believe he beat [Jermall] Charlo in his fight with him last year. It’s one of those things. I’m following the game plan. This is the first step in a long journey out here in the States. They can’t all be mega-fights. You’ve got to work your way up, and this is a great start for me. Absolutely, I’m not coming out here for my first fight to go the distance or to coast by,” said Eubank Jr. when asked if he’s going to be looking to knockout Korobov. ”
I’m going to stamp my authority in the middleweight division, and make my name for Chris Eubank Jr. in the States. I do, and I believe these last few years fighting these big guys at 168 has been a challenge. I’ve given away a lot of weight and a lot of advantages to these guys, because I’m not naturally a super middleweight,” said Eubank Jr.
It’s going to be hard for Eubank Jr. to establish himself as a star in the U.S, because it’s going to require him to beat some talented guys. These are some of the names Eubank Jr. will need to beat in the U.S:
- Demetrius Andrade
- Jermall Charlo
- Gennadiy Golovkin
- Ryota Murata
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Jermall Charlo will be dealt with savagely said Eubank
“I think that now that I’m down at my natural weight of 160, I’m going to be very powerful, and I’m going to take these guys out,” said Eubank. “Yeah, he’s [Jermall Charlo] a big name out here, and I’m a big name in England. It’s only natural that our paths will cross, and when they do, I will deal with him like I do with all my opponents. In a savage manner,” said Eubank Jr.
Charlo (29-0, 21 KOs) is a threat to Eubank Jr. due to his light heavyweight-sized frame, and his power. If Eubank Jr. wants to win that fight he’s going to need to stay out of Charlo’s power ally, and make sure doesn’t get hit too often.
Eubank Jr. says he could work with Hearn in the future
‘Eddie [Hearn] has a lot of opinions about my career, but I’m not with Matchroom or with DAZN,” said Eubank. “I don’t know why he’s worried about what I’m doing. He talks about me, [Callum] Smith and [Billy Joe] Saunders. Those fights are still there to be made, but I’m going at my pace. I’m doing things my way. Matchroom aren’t the only boys on the playground. There are some big fish out in the States, and now I’m swimming with them. I’m sure at some point down the line, me and Eddie will work together again. Whether that’s me fighting one of his fighters or whatever the case may be. But for the foreseeable future, I’m with PBC and Showtime, and I’m looking to make a name in the States.
It’s uncharted territory for me. I’ve done so much in England, and now I want to do so much out here. The possibilities are endless out here. There’s a lot of money to be made, and I’m very excited. I’ve heard Eddie say in interviews that Callum Smith and Saunders are great fights, but I don’t there’s been any official contracts or offers. Really, it’s just talk at the moment. That’s Eddie’s specialty. He loves to talk. Money is king, and I’m in a good position at the moment,” said Eubank Jr.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Eubank Jr. never works with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, because he was burned by him in 2016. That was when Eubank Jr. was trying to set-up a fight against former IBF/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin. Hearn quickly gave the fight to Kell Brook when the negotiations between Eubank Jr. and GGG stalled.
NOBODY cares about Saunders states Eubank Jr.
“Who are the best fights to take for me to get to the real big time,” said Eubank Jr. “That starts with me fighting here in America. You can only get so big in England. Eventually you’ve got to come over here, and fight and perform. That’s how you reach legendary status. So we’re starting the journey. Anyone that fights Canelo is going to make money. So that point is invalid. He won’t fight Canelo, because he only wants to fight easy opponents. They’re cherry-picking everything until they can get a fight with me. Without me, nobody cares about him [Saunders].
There’s nobody there that’s interested in seeing him fight. He’s not an exciting fighter. They only reason they want to see a fight between me and him is our history. Aside from that, nobody cares about him apart from his hardcore community of boxing fans. In the future, if it comes about, and it links in with the timeline that I have, then we can make the fight. If not, then I’m good. I’m happy,” said Eubank Jr.
Eubank Jr. is exaggerating by saying that nobody cares about Saunders. He has a small fans base in the UK that follow his fights, but he’s not been able to win over a lot of fans. Saunder’s fighting style is too negative for him to be a huge crowd-pleaser, and he’s failed to fight the guys that the fans want him to.
Kovalev looked like he was trying NOT to hurt Canelo – Eubank Jr.
Terrible fight,” said Eubank Jr. about the Saul Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev fight. “Kovalev looked like he was trying his best not to hurt the guy. He was pitty-pattering like a sparring session until he got knocked out. I don’t know what it was. It was very strange to see someone that has showed so much devastating knockout power throughout his career just tapping Canelo for however many rounds it went. Stay tuned on December 7th, Korobov, New York City. It’s going to be a beautiful debut,” said Eubank.
There are a lot of boxing fans that are suspicious about the Saul Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev fight from last Saturday night because it looked really odd. It looked like Kovalev was purposefully not hitting Canelo hard in order not to hurt him. It’s hard to comprehend what was going through Kovalev’s mind for him to fight that way. He had to know at some point that he had no chance of winning the fight if it went to a decision, and yet he still persisted in just boxing Canelo.
