By Charles Brun: Chris Eubank Jr was quick to call out Gennadiy Golovkin last night following his loss to Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas.
The only two money fights for Golovkin at middleweight are Eubank Jr and Jermall Charlo. Of the two, Eubank Jr is the only one that Golovkin would have a slight chance of winning.
Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) revealed after the fight that he’s not retiring, and he plans on returning to the 160-lb division to defend his three belts.
I don’t think Golovkin can beat Eubank Jr with the way he performed last night against Canelo. This would be an easier fight for Eubank Jr. than his recent win over Liam Williams. Golovkin is too old & shot to deal with Eubank Jr.
Eubank Jr is just too fast, powerful, and defensively sound for Golovkin to defeat him at this late stage in his career. Still, the fight makes sense for Golovkin because he’ll get a big payday, which is obviously important for him.
If Golovkin just chooses to make title defenses of his three belts, he’s going to get beaten soon he’s too past it for him to hold onto his three belts for any length of time.
Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) obviously saw what everyone did with the 40-year-old Golovkin looking old & totally shot, losing to an equally bad Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision in their trilogy match at the T-Mobile Arena.
Chris Jr turned 33 today, and he still has a 157-lb catchweight fight scheduled for next month against welterweight Conor Benn on October 8th at the O2 Arena in London.
That’s expected to be a mismatch unless Eubank Jr. is weight drained due to the catchweight and the rehydration clause.
Despite the Canelo-Golovkin fight appearing to be a mostly one-sided affair with Canelo beating the gunshy Golovkin to the punch all night, the judges scored it closely at 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113. It didn’t look like a close fight to me.
The 40-year-old Golovkin was terrible. He looked like he didn’t belong out there with Canelo, and in some ways, it seemed like the Mexican star was taking it easy on him.
Golovkin and Eubank Jr were supposed to fight six years ago in 2016. The negotiations were slow, and eventually, the fight was offered to Kell Brook instead, who ended up getting chopped down by Golovkin in five rounds.
GGG you had a great run. Come back down to middleweight & let’s fight for those belts you still have in December or just pass em over & I’ll look after them for the next couple years while you enjoy retirement… you earned it champ.
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) September 18, 2022