By Barry Holbrook: Trainer Roy Jones Jr wants Chris Eubank Jr to challenge IBF/WBA middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin after he takes care of Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith next month on January 21st.
Golovkin coming off a loss to Canelo Alvarez last September in their trilogy match, and he hasn’t said yet who he plans on fighting next.
While there’s talk of Golovkin potentially fighting Michael Zerafa in a money fight in Australia next, that match hasn’t been confirmed. Golovkin also has mandatory defenses due against Erislandy Lara and Esquiva Falcao.
#2 WBC, #2 WBO, and #5 WBA, Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) will be fighting former WBO junior middleweight champion Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) in a 12 round headliner at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
The 33-year-old Eubank Jr had planned on fighting welterweight Conor Benn in a catchweight fight on October 8th, but he tested positive for the banned substance clomifene, resulting in the bout being canceled.
Golovkin and Eubank Jr had been in talks to fight in 2016, but the contest failed to happen after the negotiations stalled. Kell Brook ended up getting the fight, and it was an entertaining win for GGG.
“I would love to have that fight next because Gennadiy has a big name, and it would be more than one title,” said Roy Jones Jr to iD Boxing about a possible next fight for Chris Eubank Jr against IBF/WBA middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.
“So now, he beats Gennadiy to get the titles, and then he comes and fights Kell Brook in the title defense. That makes it even better. First things first, we’ve got to deal with Liam first.
“He has to mix his old self with his new self,” said Jones when asked how Eubank Jr can defeat the 40-year-old Golovkin. “The new Chris has a lot of tools, and the old Chris had a lot of tools too.
“Now, I can see how much he’s got it. I can see how well he makes those transitions, and they’re going to tell if he’s going to beat Gennadiy or not.
“If you don’t know how to manage those transitions, you won’t beat Gennadiy. If you know how to manage those transitions, you will beat him. That’s why I like the Kell Brook fight because it gives us practice in managing those tools. If you can manage those tools, you can beat anybody.
“That would be a great fight because Junior has such a great name, and Canelo has such a great name already,” said Jones Jr when asked about his thoughts on Eubank Jr fighting Canelo Alvarez. Powerwise, Canelo may have the advantage.
“Size-wise, Canelo definitely has the advantage, but junior is the type of guy that can adapt to anything, so I think it’s a beautiful fight, a very competitive fight, and one that junior can win,” said Jones.