Chris Eubank Jr went through a rollercoaster 2023, suffering a knockout defeat to Liam Smith before avenging that loss less than eight months later with a stoppage win of his own in September, but a new British contender has now overtaken him in the world rankings.
Ever since the win over Smith, Eubank has been linked to a plethora of fights, mainly with either Conor Benn or middleweight world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
The Eubank-Benn rivalry is decades old, and the sons of two boxing legends seemed set to collide for the last 18 months, although now the bout appears dead in the water.
Instead, a clash between Eubank Jr and unified 160lb champion Alimkhanuly was expected, as the 34-year-old Brighton man attempts to finally become a world title-holder, six years after his one and only title challenge on the world stage.
However, with Eubank yet to fight since September, he has now lost his position as the number one contender with the WBO, which was soon to position him as the mandatory challenger for the Kazakh’s middleweight throne.
That opportunity looks to be heading to Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0), who knocked out Liam Williams in the opening round of their scrap earlier this month.
Victory over the Welshman extended Sheeraz’s run to 13 consecutive knockouts, with four of his last five wins coming in the second round or sooner, and following the eye-catching performance, his promoter Frank Warren said his man is ready to take on ‘Qazaq Style’.
“Personally, I wouldn’t have any hesitation over matching Hamzah with Janibek Alimkhanuly, the Kazakh southpaw, who holds two world title belts. He says nobody wants to fight him, so we’ve now got someone for him, if he’s up for it.”
Meanwhile, Eubank could target the IBO crown, which he has held on two occasions, with a showdown with Etinosa Oliha being touted.