By John Evans
August 13, 2024
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Chris Eubank Jr. is back and he sounds determined to make up for lost time.
Eubank, 33-3 (24 KOs), hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since last September when he impressively rebounded from the first stoppage defeat of his career to even the score with Liam Smith, stopping the Liverpudlian in the 10th round of their rematch.
Eubank Jr.’s name has remained in the headlines over the past 12 months but although he has been linked to the likes of Conor Benn, Hamzah Sheeraz and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, various circumstances have prevented anything from coming to fruition.
The 34-year-old from Hove, England, seems to have grown tired of waiting. He used an appearance on Sky Sports News in the U.K to announce that his initial aim is to rebuild that lost momentum but also that he is determined to be involved in some major fights over the next year.
Although the world ranked middleweight wasn’t able to reveal any concrete plans, he does seem to have set his sights on a fight with Mexican superstar, Alvarez, 61-2-2 (39 KOs).
Recently, Eubank did engage in discussions over facing Alvarez in Las Vegas next month. He and his team were unable to come to terms on a deal and Alvarez will instead defend his WBO and WBC super middleweight titles against undefeated Puerto Rican puncher, Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena, on September 14th.
Eubank clearly expects Alvarez to get past Berlanga and is already positioning himself for the next shot at the four-weight world champion.
“I think May next year” he said when asked when he could realistically expect to face Alvarez. “We were in talks with he and his team for his next fight. We couldn’t come to an agreement. It was very last minute. The numbers weren’t right, the business wasn’t right and I’ve been out of the ring for a year. This wasn’t a fight that I could take after a year off. I wasn’t going in there for a payday like so many other fighters have. I’m going in there to win and I want to give myself the best chance possible. That means being able to come off consistent fights, consistent camps and then go into the biggest fight in world boxing at the moment not coming off a year lay-off. I think activity and consistency over the next six months and get this man in May.
“There’s only a few guys that ‘Canelo’ can fight. There is not a pool of fighters that the public want him to fight and that he can fight. There’s very few names so I don’t need to rush.”
A lot needs to happen before Eubank can cross that particular bridge. Although he looked good when beating Smith last year, he appeared dreadfully out of sorts when Smith blazed through him inside four rounds last April. That performance, arguably the worst of his entire career, came on the back of an 11-month lay-off.
Eubank hasn’t been involved in many wars and although he pops up at the occasional yacht party or all night poker game, he does live well outside of the ring but he is approaching the age when things can go wrong quickly - and without the fighter recognizing it until it’s too late.
He has decided to do all he can to mitigate the possibility of finally making it to the ring for the type of blockbuster fight he has spent years talking about, only to discover that the sharpness and speed required to win it is no longer there.
“The plan with me is to get active. I’m 34 years old. I’m ready to get back in. I’ve been a year out of the ring and at my age you cant afford to be doing that,” he admitted. “Consistency, activity that’s the key. Especially at my age. We’ll be fighting again within the next couple of months and, over the next 12 months, we’re going to have more than one mega fight,” he said.
“Regardless of that fight [the rematch victory over Smith], I love the sport of boxing. I love the training, I love the dedication. I love the lifestyle. It’s who I am. I want to be in the ring as much as I can. It’s my life. It’s my career and it’s how I make my money. Obviously, being out of the ring for a year is not ideal but politics, promoters and business, this is all part of the sport and for whatever reason I haven’t been able to get back in the ring. Now we’re passed all of that.
With Boxxer, with Sky Sports, we have the platform and the schedule to push on and make these fights happen.”
Eubank mentioned that he will be involved in “more than one mega fight” over the next twelve months.
He notably omitted Hamzah Sheeraz - his only real rival for domestic supremacy at 160lbs - from his list of potential opponents and his domestic goals, both Billy Joe Saunders and Conor Benn were referenced, do seem to be fixed on settling old grudges but he otherwise reeled off an ambitious list of names and challenges.
It will be interesting to see if Eubank Jnr does seek to close out the year against a big name - knowing that a defeat would destroy any hopes of tempting ‘Canelo’ into the ring - or whether he elects to stretch that 12-month timeframe slightly.
Work does have a habit of expanding to fill the time available and Eubank insists that he has no plans on calling time on his career for the foreseeable future.
“There’s no secrets. The amount of names I have on my hitlist is incredible and it’s exciting,” he said. “Domestically we have great fights. Conor Benn, Billy Joe Saunders, who I’d love to get my hands on. In the international seas, ‘Canelo’. Terence Crawford. Any of the world title holders in the middleweight division. [WBA champion, Erislandy] Lara. The list is endless. Now we have the platform and the freedom to go and make these fights so over the next twelve months, watch this space.
“I live the life. I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs. I have my little nights out here and there but in general I’m responsible with my lifestyle outside of boxing. That’s where longevity will come into play in terms of my career. My father retired at 32 years old. I’m 34 and retirement is not even in my mindset. Not even close. A lot of big fights and a lot of huge potential match-ups over the next six months and I’m ready to go.”
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