Chris Eubank Jr. had been linked to a clash with Canelo Alvarez in recent weeks, but it now seems as though his career is taking an alternative route. With the polarising middleweight yet to appear in 2024 and a new stage of his career poised to begin, one domestic rival has called for the opportunity to face him.
Eubank Jr. suffered the first stoppage defeat of his career when he was surprisingly stopped by Liam Smith last January but the scores were levelled when the pair rematched in September, thrusting Eubank Jr. up the middleweight rankings once again and edging him closer to a world title shot.
However, outside of the ring, Eubank has undergone a change of circumstances and parted ways with Wasserman Boxing. After numerous conversations with various promoters, the 34-year-old has opted to sign with Boxxer and Ben Shalom, after Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn refused to provide him with two warm-up fights before securing a big name opponent.
Speaking with Seconds Out, former British champion and world title challenger Denzel Bentley put his name forward for one of Eubank’s ‘warm-ups’, but warned that he would not be coming to just make up the numbers.
“I already said it [that I want to fight Chris Eubank Jr.]. I said to my manager that if he wants two warm-up fights then tell him that I am a warm-up fight. Eubank Jr. likes to act like he doesn’t know what is going on in the division and like he doesn’t know who is who, he is not that stupid. He will know a fair amount about the people that are in and around the division at a certain level – that he would consider as warm-up fights.
“I just said [to my manager] to put my name into the hat if he [Eubank] considers me as a warm-up fight, let’s do it.
“I can warm-up his retirement for him, that would be alright!”
Eubank Jr. finds himself ranked in the top seven with each of the four sanctioning bodies after the victory over Smith, whilst Bentley sits at number two with the WBO. Although, Bentley does not believe that his position will provide Eubank any further incentive to face him, explaining his assumption that the 36-fight veteran has other priorities than finally claiming that illusive world title.
“I don’t think that he wants to win a world title anyway. He was sitting in the mandatory position for Janibek [Alimkhanuly] and didn’t say his name once or try and get the fight made. Janibek has made it clear that he would come to the U.K. to fight him or whatever so I don’t think that he [Eubank] has any intentions of being a world champion, he just wants to tune-up financially.”
Ben Shalom has now revealed that Eubank Jr. will return to the ring at the end of September or in early October, but remained coy about who will appear in the opposing corner.
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