Chris Eubank Jr. says Gennadiy Golovkin fight happening within 12 months

Image: Chris Eubank Jr. says Gennadiy Golovkin fight happening within 12 months
By Boxing News - 09/01/2021 - Comments

By Scott Gilfoid: Chris Eubank Jr. has revealed that his team was in contact with the management for IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin about setting up a fight between them in the next 12 months.

Eubank Jr. has arguably lost whatever ambition he’s had since 2016, fighting guys like Marcus Morrison, JJ McDonaugh, Matt Korobov, [washed-up] James DeGale, and now little-known German Sven Elbir. It’s pretty sad to see how Eubank Jr. has ruined his career.

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It’s a bit late in the game for Eubank Jr. and Golovkin to be fighting, but oh well.

If Golovkin wants another safe fight like the ones he’s been taking since losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2018, it’s up to DAZN if they want to pay him for this.

Golovkin vs. Eubank Jr. is one of those Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook-type fights in which they should have fought YEARS ago, but they never did. Now for Eubank Jr. and Golovkin to be fighting, it’s a totally useless fight. 

Golovkin, 39, and Eubank Jr. were supposed to fight five years ago in September 2016, but that negotiation evaporated quickly when promoter Eddie Hearn lost patience and substituted Brook as GGG’s opponent.

Do fans want to see Golovkin vs. Eubank Jr?

Brook was too small, limited, and weak to keep Golovkin from bludgeoning him into submission in five rounds. In the fifth, Brook stopped throwing punches, leaving the referee with no choice but to halt the contest.

The fight shortened Brook’s career as an elite fighter due to him suffering a fractured left eye orbital bone.

Golovkin should have been assertive with Hearn at the time, telling him that he wanted the much bigger clash against Eubank Jr. than to be facing welterweight Brook because he received no credit for his fifth round stoppage in that fight. It was a no-win situation Golovkin was put in by taking the Brook fight over the Eubank Jr. match.

Golovkin was in his prime back then, and he likely would have been too much for Eubank Jr. at the time.

“He’s a middleweight world champion, and this is a fight that fans have been calling for years now,” said Eubank Jr. to Sky Sports on a clash between him and Golovkin.

Image: Chris Eubank Jr. says Gennadiy Golovkin fight happening within 12 months

“The fight [against Golovkin] has to happen, and it will happen within the next 12 months,” Eubank Jr. said of him and GGG fighting soon. Their team actually contacted us and has shown interest in making something happen.

“So the fight will happen. So it’s just up to me to be ready for me to be ready when the time comes,” said Eubank Jr. on a fight between him and Golovkin.

I think I speak for everyone when I say NO one wants to see Golovkin fight Eubank Jr. now. It’s too late for that fight to happen, and it won’t sell.

If Golovkin wants to take advantage of the little time he has left in his professional career, he needs to fight a live body like WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade or WBC champ Jermall Charlo. Those would be big fights, and even if Golovkin loses, he’d least show that he’s got courage in taking them.

GGG is no longer taking on quality opposition

Now six years later, Golovkin is nowhere near the fighter he was in 2016 and is now beatable by the 32-year-old Eubank Jr. If the fight between them happens within the next 12 months, Golovkin will be 40-years-old. He turns 40 early next year, on April 8th.

Golovkin has slowed his career down since his loss to Canelo Alvarez in September 2018. Since that fight, Golovkin has fought just fought three times, beating Steve Rolls, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, and Kamil Szeremeta.  Golovkin’s last fight came against the little-known contender Szeremeta last December.

Before GGG and former IBO super middleweight champion Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs) meet up in 2022, they must win their next fights.

Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) will be fighting a unification match against WBA ‘Super World’ middleweight champion Ryota Murata in December in Japan. That’s a fight GGG wins on paper unless he gets caught by one of the 35-year-old Murata’s big shots.

Image: Chris Eubank Jr. says Gennadiy Golovkin fight happening within 12 months

For his part, Eubank Jr. must beat German fringe contender Sven Elbir (18-1, 14 KOs) in their fight on October 2nd at the Wembley Arena in London, England. That fight will be shown on Sky Sports.

It’s unknown why Eubank Jr. is fighting Elber instead of one of the talented middleweights, but his German promoters likely feel this will play out well in Germany, and it probably will.

Eubank Jr. needs to be fighting upper-tier opposition at 160, as he’s wasted too many years fighting lesser guys with some of the disastrous career decisions he’s made.

On the undercard of Eubank Jr. vs. Elbir, EBU welterweight champion David Avanesyan (27-3, 15 KOs) will be defending his title against Liam Taylor (23-1-1, 11 KOs).

This is Avanesyan’s first fight since stopping Josh Kelly in six rounds earlier this year in February. Avanesyan’s management wanted to match him against unbeaten welterweight contender Conor Benn, but he didn’t want the fight.

Avanesyan vs. Benn would have been huge, but you can understand why Conor didn’t take it. He’s not displayed the type of talent that would enable him to last long against a puncher like Avanesyan.

Heck, Benn went life and death with journeyman Cedrick Peynaud a few years ago, getting dropped twice en route to winning a highly controversial 6 round decision.

Afterward, both of Benn’s eyes were completely closed shut, and he looked like a total mess after six rounds. One can only imagine what Benn would have looked like had it been a 12 round contest.