By Charles Brun: Chris Eubank Jr. says he’s now targeting IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin and he wants to beat him before he retires. In an interview with Sky Sports, Eubank Jr. (29-2, 22 KOs) says he sees the 38-year-old Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) as having only two fights left in him before he hangs up his gloves.
That’s one of the reasons Eubank Jr. wants to face Golovkin now before he retires. It’s now or never for Eubank Jr. when it comes to a fight with GGG.
Eubank Jr. had a chance to fight Golovkin
Eubank Jr. was supposed to have fought Golovkin in September 2016, but negotiations quickly ended with Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn giving the fight to Kell Brook. Golovkin did easy work with Brook, who moved up two weight divisions from welterweight to face him on September 10, 2016, at the O2 in London, England.
The 11-year professional Eubank Jr. has won his last three fights since losing a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision to George Groves in the World Boxing Super Series final on February 17, 2018.
“He is the No 1 name on my list right now,” Eubank Jr said to skysports.com. I’ve always wanted to fight him. I know I can beat him. I know that I have the tools and the style to take this guy out.”
“My speed, my tenacity? I don’t think he would be able to deal with it. This is the main fight,” said Eubank Jr. of wanting to face Golovkin.
Without any solid wins over injury-free big name fighters in the last two years, Eubank Jr. may find it all but impossible for him to be given a fight with Golovkin. The popular GGG is expected to face Canelo Alvarez in September of this year. Before that, Golovkin would like to make a mandatory defense against Kamil Szeremeta. That fight will hinge on boxing restarting by the summer, and that’s up in the air right now.
Chris Jr hasn’t beaten a reliable name
What Eubank Jr. has working against him getting the GGG fight is the fact that not enough time has gone by since his loss to Groves. Eubank’s opposition has been too soft for him to fully rebuild his career to where he’s viewed as a viable name for the likes of Golovkin and Canelo. Given the inferior opposition that Eubank Jr. has beaten since his loss to Groves, his popularity hasn’t risen to the level where boxing fans worldwide want to see him and Golovkin fight.
To Golovkin fight, Eubank Jr. probably needs victories over these types of fighters:
- David Benavidez
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko
- Jermall Charlo
- Jermell Charlo
- Jeison Rosario
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Demetrius Andrade
- Caleb Plant
- Callum Smith
There’s a high chance that Eubank Jr. loses to most of those fighters on that list, if not all. Saunders already beat Eubank Jr. in 2014, which makes him look him bad.
If Eubank Jr. does get a fight against Golovkin, it’ll take place after he faces Canelo Alvarez. Under the best scenario, Eubank Jr. could potentially face GGG in 2021. It’s difficult to say whether Golovkin would agree to a fight with Eubank Jr.
GGG has other options
Golovkin has a six-fight contract with DAZN, and they’ll likely prefer that he faces a world champion like Demetrius Andrade, Callum Smith, or Billy Joe Saunders. Eubank Jr. held the IBO super-middleweight title, but he lost that in his defeat to Groves.
In Eubank’s last fight, he beat Matt Korobov by a 2nd round injury stoppage last December. Korovbov suffered a freak shoulder injury during the battle, and that led to the stoppage. Going into the match, a lot of boxing fans were predicting Eubank Jr. would lose.
In February last year, Eubank Jr. beat former IBF super-middleweight champion James DeGale by a 12 round unanimous decision. Eubank Jr. looked good but hardly spectacular. This wasn’t the original version of DeGale that many people from the boxing world had remembered him. By this point in DeGale’s career, he was a shell of his former self and not the guy that had shined during his best years.
