It appears that Chris Eubank Jr is, perhaps rightly so, moving on from the fiasco of the Conor Benn fight – and it won’t be long until fans see him in the ring.
Eubank Jr deserves a fight, and all of the benefits that come with it. Not only did the fighter do a lot of the heavy lifting for the promotion of his almost-fight with Conor Benn, he also put his body through an intense weight cut to reach a number on the scales never before seen in his professional career. All that, as the boxing world knows, was for nothing.
Now, with a host of new fans off the back of how he handled the news of Benn’s failed drug test, his team have been in talks with Liam Smith to stage an all-British clash this year. The Daily Star reports that, whilst execs are keen for a December 17 date, nothing has been signed and there’s a worry that it may be too tight of a deadline.
Whilst solid details are yet to be revealed, and may not even have been agreed upon, it’s expected that the bout would be at the middleweight limit of 160lb, and some possible venues are Manchester Arena and Wembley Arena.
Eubank Jr has now been out of the ring since February – a conclusive decision victory over Liam Williams in Cardiff – and, at 33-years-old, is keen to get busy and soon stake a claim for a world title. Whilst Smith can’t offer that, he’s one of the best Britain has to offer and has traded at world level with good success. ‘Beefy’s last outing was a stoppage victory against Hassan Mwakinyo. A bizarre and unsatisfying four rounds for the fighter will see him eager to face a tougher test in Eubank.
The former WBO light-middleweight champion has called out Eubank Jr in the past, and having just signed a deal with BOXXER and Sky Sports, there seems to be no stumbling blocks of that nature to stop the fight. Whether or not the December date is too soon remains to be seen, but, regardless, an announcement is expected imminently.