There are nights in boxing that reverberate far beyond the final bell. Chris Eubank Jr.’s recent slugfest with Conor Benn back in April was one of those electrifying moments—twelve rounds of relentless drama culminating in a unanimous decision that left no doubt about his status as one of Britain’s preeminent prizefighters. Delivering 36 minutes of calculated aggression, the 35-year-old outworked, outlanded, and ultimately outshone his far younger rival.
In the championship rounds, with both men’s faces etched in grit and sweat, it was Eubank Jr. whose busier work caught the eye, pulling away down the stretch to secure a deserved victory. It was a victory that eagle-eyed odds calculator users may have seen coming.
Rematch Falls Through
The middleweight contender had been made a 1.58 betting favorite heading into the grudge match, with Benn at 2.65. Looking at those odds, one might have thought the fight could go either way. However, the use of an implied odds calculator such as the popular one at Thunderpick shows that the eventual winner had a 63% shot at victory, and he duly delivered. But in the wake of that epic, the oxygen was suddenly sucked out of the room.
Hopes for a box office rematch—one that seemed poised to ignite British boxing all over again—have reportedly fizzled amid a swirl of negotiation breakdowns and scheduling obstacles. The dream of Eubank-Benn II is now, for the time being, somewhat dead in the water . For a fighter with ambitions as grand as his family legacy, the question lingers as to what’s next.
Mega-Fight with Canelo Alvarez
Every generation of fighters dreams of a shot at the king—and right now, there is no monarch in the boxing world more imperial than Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. With a whopping 63 wins, titles across four divisions, including two undisputed championship reigns at both middleweight and super-middle, the Mexican box office sensation certainly proves to be quite the challenge.
Why would Eubank Jr. set his sights here? Start with the numbers: Canelo’s last three UK opponents—Amir Khan, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders—have drawn millions of viewers and filled stadiums from Las Vegas to Texas. Add to that the potential for a legacy-defining victory – no matter how against the odds it would be – and the Brit’s head could almost certainly be turned.
The intrigue goes deeper. Eubank Jr.’s volume punching, athletic improvisation, and hunger for big moments could make for the most compelling challenge to Canelo’s reign since Gennadiy Golovkin. Critically, catchweight negotiations are plausible: Canelo’s flexibility across 154 to 175 lbs creates a window for compromise.
But there are big risks too. Canelo’s last loss came against Dmitry Bivol back in 2022, and since then, his punch accuracy has exceeded 36%—elite by any metric. However, the caliber of opponents that the undisputed 168-pound champion has defeated since then is more than questionable. Eubank Jr. would need not just the fight of his career but a tactically perfect night to join the precious few who have toppled the Mexican icon.
It’s audacious, almost improbable, but in boxing, those are the moments legacies are built on.
Middleweight Coronation
If Eubank Jr. pivots from superstardom to cementing a championship pedigree, the middleweight division is flush with opportunity and peril in equal measure. The world titles are split between Erislandy Lara (WBA), Carlos Adames (WBC), and Janibek Alimkhanuly (IBF and WBO)—a trinity of champions, each presenting a different test tube in the laboratory of boxing science.
Let’s start with the math: Eubank currently ranks #2 with the WBC, positioning him as a mandatory, or at least, the most lucrative voluntary opponent for Adames. The champ, fresh off a controversial draw against another Brit, Hamzah Sheeraz, lands power punches at a rate of nearly 40%, making him one of the division’s most dangerous finishers. Yet Eubank brings the commercial edge—UK arenas routinely sell out when he headlines, and pay-per-view figures suggest a huge domestic appetite for world title fights.
Lara, the Cuban counterpunching master, brings another dimension: at 42, he’s still a defensive puzzle but less mobile than in his prime. Meanwhile, Janibek, with his 87% knockout ratio and stealthy southpaw style, is viewed in analytical circles as “the next Golovkin”—high risk, high reward.
For Eubank Jr., the calculus is clear: conquer one of these kings and you’re instantly elevated into boxing’s pantheon. Fail, and at 35, the margin for error evaporates. But this is no leap into the unknown—the data, the audience demand, and the timing all point to Eubank Jr. being not just a challenger, but perhaps the centerpiece for the next great British world title night.
Domestic Drama
Sometimes, the greatest thrills aren’t found chasing distant legends. At home, two names stand out: a redemption war with Billy Joe Saunders or a generational clash against the aforementioned former WBC title challenger Hamzah Sheeraz.
The Saunders story is layered in history. Their 2014 duel was a knife-edge affair, with Saunders eking out a split decision that has gnawed at Eubank Jr. ever since. The former middleweight champion has not fought since his disappointing defeat to Canelo at AT&T Stadium in Texas, but questions regarding his fitness and will to return continue to linger. If the call comes, the stakes would be enormous: a fight built on unfinished business, unresolved animosity, and the kind of narrative that drives British sports into overdrive.
Sheeraz, on the other hand, is the next wave. Unbeaten, 22-0-1, 18 KOs, including a recent vicious knockout of Edgar Berlanga, a man who took Canelo 12 rounds as recently as September last year. The 26-year-old is a slick technician with a point to prove. But on this occasion, the risk for Eubank Jr. could far outweigh the reward, no matter how lucrative the purse may be.
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