By Sean Jones: Chris Eubank Jr is ready to go in there and obliterate Canelo Alvarez if he decides to choose him for his next fight on September 12. Eubank Jr (29-2, 22 KOs) threw his name in the hat for the Canelo sweepstakes this week in letting the world know that he wants to be under consideration by Golden Boy for that fight.
WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) needs an opponent for his next fight on DAZN for September, and he’s running out of time. It’s already July, and Canelo’s promoters at Golden Boy still don’t have a fighter signed.
The 30-year-old Eubank Jr is known for having a high punch volume, and he’s not going to back away from his opponents. He’s going to force Canelo to fight at a high pace that his stamina-plagued body can’t handle. Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs both lost to Canelo because they didn’t take the fight to him. They fought scared, and let Canelo control the pace of the battle.
Eubank Jr will force Canelo to fight at full capacity, and the Mexican star could burn out quickly, and wind up getting stopped. Chris Jr has watched Canelo’s fights and spotted his flaws with his stamina, and his need for rest breaks. He’s not going to let Canelo have those pitstops every round the way GGG, Jacobs, and Sergey Kovalev did.
Chris Jr confident he’ll beat Canelo Alvarez
“Canelo Alvarez, that’s the #1 fight that I want right now,” said Eubank Jr to Sky Sports Boxing. “I don’t think anyone on the planet would make a better opponent for him [Canelo Alvarez]. Most guys would go in there to run and survive [against Canelo].
“I’m going in there destroy, and I know I can beat him,” said Eubank Jr.
Canelo probably has already seen for himself that Eubank Jr is a lousy style match-up for him, so he might not dare take a fight with him. If you’ve got severe stamina problems as Canelo has, the worst type of opponent you can choose is someone with a good chin that throws nonstop shots. That’s Eubank Jr to a tee.
Of all the fighters in 160 and 168-pound divisions, Eubank Jr has a fighting style that is the closest to Marvin Hagler and Aaron Pryor. These were fighters that were known for their ability to attack their opponents all out, throwing a high number of shots in each round.
Hagler and Pryor were so successful because they didn’t let the guys they fought take rest breaks. Canelo needs rest breaks, and the guys that he’s fought thus far have always let him take those breaks. Canelo picked his opposition well, choosing to fight opponents that don’t attack and have significant flaws.
Eubank Jr going in to destroy Canelo
“I’m going in there destroy, and I know I can beat him,” said Eubank Jr of Canelo. “So that’s the fight I want. I’ve definitely got a game plan, and I’ve got a strategy.
“I see the weaknesses, and I see where he can be exposed. And again, I’m not looking to survive. I’m taking the fight to him. I don’t think he’s ready for something like that,” Eubank Jr added.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Eubank Jr were to destroy Canelo by working him so hard that he falls apart. Boxing is a cardio sport, and Canelo isn’t built for fast-paced fights. Golovkin could have beaten Canelo in both matches if he’d been smart and attacked him relentlessly GGG didn’t do that, though.
Instead, Golovkin stood on the outside, throwing jabs, and playing it safe. What Golovkin was trying to do is use the blueprint that Floyd Mayweather Jr created in how to beat Canelo by staying at a distance and throwing jabs.
That worked for Mayweather because he had the same popularity as Canelo, so the judges inclined to give him the decision. But in GGG’s case, he wasn’t as popular as Canelo.
Chris WON’T let Canelo bully him
“Canelo is used to bullying guys, bulldozing, getting his own way, and guys go in there to survive,” said Eubank Jr to Secondsout. “That’s not me. Nobody is bullying me, and no one is putting me in survival mode.
“I’m going in there to take somebody’s head off, and he’s not used to that. Nobody has my style, nobody has my tenacity, and no one has my punch output in the middleweight division or the super middleweight division. I believe my style will give him [Canelo] serious problems.
“That’s the fight I want. I don’t know anybody in boxing that can give him [Canelo] a more exciting match. So that’s the guy I want. He has the belt in my weight class, which he shouldn’t have. I don’t know how he was able to do that in holding a light heavyweight title and a middleweight title.
“And I should have been fighting for that title when I fought Matt Korobov. I had the interim belt then. I’m the #1 contender, so let’s get it on, man,” said Eubank Jr.
Canelo will look to counter Eubank Jr, and then walk him down and pile on the points. If Eubank Jr stands his ground and throws a massive amount of shots, he’ll overwhelm Canelo’s ability to counter him and tire him out quickly.
We’ve seen what happens when Canelo gets tired. He turns beet red and backs up against the ropes to get a breather.
Canelo will often stay with his back against the ropes, the remainder of a fight to help support his skinny Babe Ruth-like pipestem legs. Canelo’s upper body is too big for his painfully think Ruthean legs to carry him around the ring.
Canelo and Golovkin on Eubank Jr’s list
“It’s all about survival. He’s going in there for a payday and not to win,” said Eubank Jr on Billy Joe Saunders being one of Canelo’s options. “He’s going in there to stink the place out like he’s done in so many of his other fights, and try and not get knocked out.
“It’s a very boring match-up [Canelo vs. Billy Joe], and he [Saunders] doesn’t deserve it. He’s a drug cheat and just a bad person in general. The situation he put himself in has lost him that fight for the time being.
“Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin, those are the two names in the division right now, which are at the top of my list,” said Chris Jr. “But again, anybody with a belt. [Jermall] Charlo and all these guys, they can get it. I’m ready,” said Eubank Jr.
It’s a given that Saunders would make it look ugly in a fight with Canelo, and just look to fowl up the joint with his defensive fighting. With the way Saunders fights, it’s strange that Golden Boy Promotions wanted any part of signing him for Canelo.
The only thing this writer can think is that Canelo’s confidence is at such a low point that he doesn’t feel like he can beat the better fighters at 168. What other reason could there be for Canelo to pick Saunders rather than champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant? If Canelo believes in himself, he has to fight those two. If he doesn’t, then Saunders is who he resorts to facing.
Canelo betrays his inner self by the choice of opponents he faces. Another example is when Canelo moved up to 175. Instead of facing the talented guys in Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, he picks the shot fighter Sergey Kovalev. Canelo just doesn’t have the confidence. It’s not there
Eubank Jr ready to fight for the title
“I really am ready because I’ve been training five to six days a week for the last three months,” said Eubank Jr. “I’ll fight tomorrow if I need to. I’m working on things and adding things. When I do get back in the ring, these guys will be shocked. I do feel like I’ve leveled up.
“I do feel like I’ve reached that next stage in my boxing ability. I’m not saying I’m a completely different fighter.
“I’m 30-years-old. It’s not like I’m going to look like somebody else. I have a better understanding of the game now. I can’t wait to get in there to show the things I’ve been working on,” said Eubank Jr.
Chris Jr might be ready to fight for a world title, but I doubt that Canelo is prepared to let him have a shot at his secondary WBA 168-lb strap. Eubank Jr is all wrong for Canelo, and he knows it.
GBP was thinking of using WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders as Alvarez’s option for September 12, but the deal was never done. Saunders said this week that he’s no longer interested in taking the fight with Canelo because he needs more than two months to get ready. Not surprisingly, Billy Joe also isn’t happy with having his original offer from Golden Boy reduced for the Canelo match.
You can understand where Saunders is coming from. Saunders would not only not have enough time to train, but he would be taking a pay cut as well. Luckily for Saunders, he has another option for a big payday in WBA Super World 168-pound champion Callum Smith. Those two could be fighting soon, but maybe not this year.
