Eubank Jr. Skips 168 Gauntlet For Canelo Cash

Chris Eubank Jr. says he’s interested in moving up to 168 to face Canelo Alvarez and will focus on making that fight happen regardless of whether his rematch with welterweight Conor Benn happens.

The 35-year-old Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) has been an underachieving domestic-level fighter throughout his 14-year professional career. He recently got a reported $12.8 million payday, defeating 147-lb contender Benn in a bizarre hybrid fight on April 26 in London.

No Risk, All Reward

Now, Eubank Jr. is interested in fighting Canelo for what would likely be an even bigger purse of $20 million or more. All this without Eubank Jr. having to risk his hide fighting one of these two 168-lb contenders:

Christian Mbilli
Osleys Iglesia
Diego Pacheco
Caleb Plant

Could Eubank Jr. beat any of those fighters? That’s a big NO, but he won’t have to. If Canelo is offered an outrageous payday for the fight, he’ll take it because he’s arguably on his retirement tour now. He’s been on one for the last three years, facing hype jobs with no credible wins, and now an aging, smallish dinosaur, Terence Crawford.

“The fans would love to see that fight. That’s a name that’s in my line of sight. We will be doing whatever we can to secure that fight in the future,” said Chris Eubank Jr. to Sky Sports Boxing about wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez.

Fans Tired of Gimmes

Some British fans would like to see Canelo vs. Eubank Jr., but not Americans. They don’t want to see that junk fight. U.S. fans want to watch Canelo fight David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, and Artur Beterbiev—fighters who would likely beat him or require him to discover the Fountain of Youth to get the win.

Eubank Jr. is just another gimme for Canelo, and boxing fans are getting tired of paying to watch the Mexican star defeat hapless fighters that have no business fighting him in the first place.

The Stadium Filler Ploy

“He is an opponent I’ve been looking at for many years. And the fans would love to see that. So 100 per cent that’s a name in my line of sight. That is another stadium filler, absolutely,” said Eubank Jr., continuing about his ambition to fight the Mexican superstar Canelo. “Wembley, Tottenham. Boxing is a very beautiful industry where anything can happen. The possibilities are endless.”

It’s great that Eubank Jr. has been “looking at” fighting Canelo for years. Still, it’s lousy that he’s being shiftless about moving up to 168 and earning the fight by putting his neck on the line against Iglesias, Mbilli, Pacheco, or even Caleb Plant. How about Eubank Jr. risk his hide for once to earn a fight, huh?