Chris Eubank Jr. has come out of nowhere to emerge as the favorite to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight championship in September on PPV.
A Match Made in Boxing Heaven
ESPN Knockout’s Salvador Rodriguez reports that the former IBO 168-lb champion Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 KOs) has taken the pole position ahead of Edgar Berlanga and Jermall Charlo as the next potential opponent for the superstar Canelo Alvarez.
Choosing the popular Britsh fighter Eubank Jr works well for the UK fans, as he’s a household name over there, and they’ll be pleased that one of their own is taking on Canelo for all the gold.
Additionally, selecting Eubank Jr. won’t anger the United States fans as it would if Canelo were to select the undeserving Edgar Berlanga or the inactive Jermall Charlo. U.S. fans would be stomping mad if Canelo selected Berlanga or Jermall.
Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) needs a tune-up to prepare him for his potential mega-fight against Terence Crawford in early 2025, with someone who has boxing ability and a style that is at least an approximation of how the Nebraska native fights.
Avoiding Unnecessary Backlash
The hulking, Sherman Tank-like Berlanga would have been useless in assisting Canelo in preparing for Crawford’s fighting style.
Moreover, Canelo would have been royally raked over the coals by fans if he’d selected the New Yorker Berlanga because many of them view him as just looking for a payday against Canelo and with no interest in taking risky fights against dangerous opposition like David Morrell.
Jermall Charlo would have been a good fighter for Canelo to use as a tune-up in 2019 when he was still active, engaged, and ambitious. Unfortunately, that version of Jermall no longer exists and likely will never return.
In their rematch in Manchester, England, Eubank Jr. is coming off a career-best tenth-round knockout win over Liam Smith on September 2nd, 2023. The win for the 34-year-old Eubank Jr. avenged his fourth-round upset knockout defeat in his previous fight against Liam on January 21st of last year in Manchester.
A Stepping Stone to Crawford?
Using Eubank Jr. as his opponent will enable Canelo to sharpen up his tools to carve up Terence Crawford in the first quarter of next year, provided the Nebraska native wins his August 3rd fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
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