By Scott Gilfoid: Middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. insists that Kell Brook is “heavier” than him with his walkaround weight of “175.”
Eubank Jr. doesn’t view a potential fight between him and welterweight Brook (40-3, 28 KOs) as one in which he’s picking on a much smaller man, as many boxing fans believe to be the case.
Having struggled when fighting elite-level opposition the same size as him in the past, Eubank Jr. (32-2, 23 KOs) has lately been combing the welterweight ranks, calling out Conor Benn first, and now 35-year-old Brook.
Eubank Jr. wants Brook to come up to 160
Brook has already made it clear to Eubank Jr. that if he wants a fight against him, he’s going to need to meltdown to 155 lbs for it to potentially happen.
Eubank Jr. is bellyaching about wanting Brook to come up two full-weight classes to meet him at 160 without needing to make any sacrifices. Talk about a sense of entitlement.
You fought GGG at 160 so you will do the same with me if you want the biggest payday (& beating) of your career. If not I’ve got much bigger fish to fry anyway… you don’t @SpecialKBrook https://t.co/lWbtcn9Oh0
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) February 20, 2022
Fans see it as pitiful in Eubank Jr’s case to be cherry-picking popular British welterweights rather than fighting talented opposition his size or bigger.
You can argue that it wouldn’t be a big deal for Eubank Jr. to be scouring the 147-pound division for lucrative fights if he were to face a talented foe two divisions above him like IBF/WBA light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Is it too much to ask for Eubank Jr. to fight someone good his size or bigger?
Eubank Jr. says Brook fight = next grudge match
“I wasn’t expecting that type of performance from Kell. It was dominance from round one until the finish,” said Eubank Jr. to Sky Sports Boxing in reacting to Brook’s win over Khan last Saturday night.
“I want to see how spicey he can get with me because I’m not Amir Khan,” Eubank Jr. continued about his intent to try and get a fight with Brook next.
“That’s already what it is,” Eubank Jr. said when asked if a fight between him and former IBF welterweight champion Brook can be the next big British grudge match.
“We have history. He’s the reason I didn’t fight [Gennadiy] Golovkin all those years ago [in September 2016], and I’ve never forgiven him for that,” said Eubank Jr. in expressing his bitterness that has been stewing for the last six years since Kell snatched the fight against GGG from under his nose.
“I’ve always held that against him because that was my fight, you know?” said Eubank Jr. in moaning about losing out on the Golovkin fight, which he had been too slow to get.
“I’m still looking to get that fight [against Golovkin], but we’ve had our back and forth over the years,” Eubank Jr. said about his desire to try still and get a fight with Golovkin six years later after missing out on the chance to face him in 2016.
I hate to say it, but if Eubank Jr. gets his wish for a Brook fight, his dream of facing Golovkin could go down the drain. If Brook beats Eubank Jr. as bad as he did Amir Khan last Saturday night in Manchester, he’ll NEVER get the chance to face GGG.
Chris Jr. claims Kell is “Heavier” than him
“I didn’t think he had what he showed tonight. I didn’t think he still had that,” said Eubank Jr. on Brook, showing that he still is capable of fighting at a high level at 35.
“Now, I know that now is a challenge. Now I want to get in there and see if he can do what he did there [with Khan] with me.
“Listen, he fought Golovkin at 160,” Chris Jr. said about Kell. “He’s been complaining about coming down in weight for this fight for the whole build-up.
“I guarantee he walks around heavier than me,” said Eubank Jr. about Brook being heavier than him. “I walk around at 168. He probably walks around at 175. I do it in pounds because I train in America. I don’t do it in stones anymore.
“Listen, we can make that fight happen. He’s already said he wants to fight me, and the fans have been asking for it for a long time. Who else can he go to?” said Eubank Jr. on his belief that Brook has no other options than a fight with him.
