So much for “small conversations” between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s and Chris Eubank Jr.’s teams.
That’s what Eubank’s promoter, Ben Shalom of BOXXER, had said was going on.
That’s not the case, according to Canelo’s trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso.
“It’s totally false,” Reynoso told boxing reporter Dan Rafael. “Eubank had his chance to fight Canelo in September, and the only thing he did was complicate the negotiations. We will not touch base with him again for a future fight!”
Instead, this past September, Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), made another successful defense of his lineal, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight world titles, defeating Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision.
Canelo vs. Berlanga was derided by fans who want to see the top super middleweight in the world face more accomplished challengers. That’s not what Eubank would’ve represented, though such a fight would have allowed Alvarez, a 34-year-old from Guadalajara, to perform in front of a large United Kingdom crowd and further pad his bank account.
Eubank, 34-3 (25 KOs), is coming off a seventh-round TKO of Kamil Szeremeta in October down at middleweight. That bout ended a 13-month layoff for Eubank, a 35-year-old from Brighton and Hove, England. Before that, Eubank’s last performance was in September 2023, when he won a rematch with Liam Smith via 10th-round technical knockout.
Eubank had lost the first bout in January 2023 via fourth-round TKO, though some feel that stoppage came in part because of an elbow from Smith. His other defeats came against Billy Joe Saunders (via split decision in 2014) and George Groves (a unanimous decision in 2018).
If the Canelo fight is truly not happening, then Eubank may instead wind up taking on Conor Benn, a welterweight who has made a couple recent forays into junior middleweight and who, like Eubank, is the son of a famed fighter. Eubank and Benn were supposed to fight two years ago, but Benn tested positive for a banned substance and the match was canceled.
Eubank’s other options could also include challenging one of the three titleholders at 160: Carlos Adames, Janibek Alimkhanuly or Erislandy Lara. Or he could take on one of the top middleweight contenders, Hamzah Sheeraz.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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