Chris Eubank Jnr offers his thoughts on prospective opponents, including Benn, Saunders, Canelo, and Crawford

When seeing that Chris Eubank Jnr had been tasked with offering his opinion on four fighters – Conor Benn and Billy Joe Saunders, plus Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – one couldn’t help but feel his opinion on 50% of this so-called Hit List would be far more relevant than his opinion on the other 50%. 

To hear Eubank Jnr give his thoughts on Benn and Saunders is to hear a student discuss a couple of classmates, albeit ones he dislikes. Yet to listen to Eubank Jnr give his thoughts on the other two is akin to this same student breaking down the relative merits of the two best universities in the land without having yet passed his final-year exams. It is, in other words, presumptuous at best and delusional at worst. 

Still, this didn’t stop Eubank Jnr being asked, nor stop Eubank Jnr answering. When asked about Crawford, for example, the 34-year-old said, “An exciting fight that I would love to happen in 2025.” Then, when asked about Alvarez, he said, again with a straight face, “Canelo is the marquee name in the sport of boxing. I want to get in the ring with him and test my skills against him, not for the payday, not for the fame, for anything else. But for the fact that I think I can beat him. May next year. He fights in May. I want that slot.”

Meanwhile, the other two, Benn and Saunders, were treated as follows:

“Conor Benn.”

“Dead boy walking,” said Eubank Jnr, who posted the clip from this interview to his social media today (September 8).  

“Billy Joe Saunders.”

“Arch nemesis. I don’t feel personal towards many people. Saunders is one of those guys where it’s personal. It’s been so long, so it’s something that has to be dealt with, and I think it will be dealt with in the next six to 12 months. I’m excited for that.”

You need not be a fortune teller, or even possess an ability to read between the lines, to understand which of the four fighters Eubank Jnr is (a) keener to fight next year and (b) most likely to fight next year. Clue: it isn’t the two modern greats clearly out of his league, nor the son of his dad’s old rival whose checkered past has spoiled more than just a fight against Eubank Jnr.