By: Hans Themistode
Chris Eubank Jr. was thrilled when he heard the news. The former WBA interim middleweight titleholder will return to the ring on October 2nd, in the main event against Sven Elbir at the Wembley Arena.
Having gone the 10 round distance against the previously undefeated Marcus Morrison just a few months ago, Eubank Jr. was satisfied to have ended his near two-year layoff with a win. That said, he doesn’t expect his unheralded opponent to reach the final bell this time around.
“On October 2nd, as soon as I get the opening, this guy is going to sleep,” said Eubank Jr. to Sky Sports Boxing.
While Eubank Jr. isn’t expecting to have much difficulty when he takes on Elbir, he is hoping that an impressive win will springboard him to a much higher platform.
With the WBA sanctioning body stripping Eubank Jr. and all of its interim champions of their world titles, the British native would love nothing more than to face every belt holder in the middleweight division.
Seemingly at the top of his hitlist, is IBF champion, Gennadiy Golovkin.
“Absolutely, he’s a middleweight world champion,” said Eubank Jr. “That’s a fight that the fans have been calling for, for years now.”
Although Eubank Jr. appeared on the verge of facing Golovkin several years ago, neither has been able to agree fully on terms to an agreement.
As for what could be next for the long-time champion, Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) is rumored to be angling for a showdown sometime in Japan against WBA champion, Ryota Murata. Since picking up the first defeat of his career against Canelo Alvarez in September of 2018, Golovkin has gone on to win three straight. In his most recent ring appearance, the 39-year-old floored mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta a total of four times before ultimately stopping him in the seventh.
Eubank Jr., 31, has watched Golovkin from a distance as he slowly rounds back into form. While he refrained from calling Golovkin out immediately, provided he strings together a few more wins, the British product views their showdown as one that will happen much sooner than later.
“The fight has to happen and it will happen within the next 12 months.”