Home Boxing News Chris Eubank Jr calls out all the champions at middleweight

Chris Eubank Jr calls out all the champions at middleweight

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Poxon Sports

WBA number one middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr 29-2 (22) is demanding a shot at any of the world titleholders at 160-pounds.

These include WBC champion Jermall Charlo, who is set to defend his belt against former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko on September 26, IBF champion Gennadiy Golovkin, WBA champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and WBA ‘regular’ titleholder Ryota Murata.

The 30-year-old Eubank was last in action in December when he stopped Matvey Korobov in two at Barclays Center in Brooklyn when the Russian-born southpaw was forced to retire after suffering a should injury.

“I’m No 1 contender for the WBA world titles,” Eubank Jr told Sky Sports. “So Canelo has the ‘super’ version and Ryota Murata has the ‘regular’ version.

“I’m interim WBA world champion, so those are the fights that make sense. I want those belts.

“Charlo, Golovkin, all these guys with belts in my division, whoever I can get fast.

“Put me in the ring with Canelo, put me in the ring with GGG. These are the guys I want,” he said.

“I understand the situation with COVID. Sometimes these bigger fights are tough to make, but that’s what I want.

“If I have to fight somebody to get to those guys, then I will do so. In my mind, I only want the top level fights now.”

WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith and WBO 168-pound titleholder Billy Joe Saunders were shortlisted to face Mexican superstar Alvarez, but Eubank Jr questioned whether his fellow Brits were really that keen to face Canelo.

“Listen those guys are not pursuing Canelo anyway. Those guys don’t want to fight Canelo,” he said.

“Saunders, Smith they are scared of him. They will do anything to bounce around the opportunity to fight with him. I’m the only one that’s really calling his name. I don’t hear anybody else saying they want to fight him.”

Eubank Jr has been training under the tutelage of former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr as he seeks to hone his skills ahead of an expected ring return later this year.

He says he only wants to face the big names at this stage of his career.

“I’m going to fight before the year is out,” he said. “That’s the most I can say right now.

“There’s no set dates, there’s no set opponent, but we are in talks, we are looking at a fight date at this moment in time. It will be within the next few months.

“I’m looking for world titles, I’m looking for the best.

“I’m 30-years-old, 31 in a week or so. We’ve got to go full steam ahead. I’ve got two, three years of prime athletic ability left and then once you start hitting 34, 35, you start seeing that dip. I want to get in as many fights with as many top opponents as I can.

“He [Jermall Charlo] has a belt in the middleweight division, and I’m looking to take it over, so that fight would be watched closely. I think that’s a 50-50 fight [Charlo vs Derevyanchenko]. I’d love to fight the winner.”