Chris Eubank Jr Says Kell Brook is a Fan Fight with No Benefit
Chris Eubank Jr (32-2, 23KOs), the #1 (WBA), #3 (WBC), and #5 (WBO) middleweight contender, has a lot of options. On February 5, he silenced rival Liam Williams in their twelve-round bout, dropping him four times en route to a decisive unanimous decision. With the win, he not only maintained his standing atop the WBA rankings, but it also opened up doors for even bigger domestic showdowns.
One bout in particular that Eubank Jr. is seeking out is a possible tussle with former IBF 147-pound champion Kell “The Special One” Brook (40-3, 28KOs). After Brook dominated bitter rival and former world champion Amir Khan on February 19 for a sixth round TKO, Eubank Jr. took to social media to call out The Special One. Since then, things have simmered down publicly on the possibility of that fight. However, behind closed doors, negotiations are apparently happening.
I CAN FIGHT CHAMPIONS!
Speaking to iFL TV, Eubank Jr. acknowledged that a fight with Brook interests him, but that he has bigger fish to fry.
“Absolutely! [I can fight] every middleweight world champion out there. Of course, these are world titles. Kell Brook isn’t a world title. So for me, that’s a fan fight, and that’s it. That’s a fight for the fans. It’s not going to do anything for my career, it’s not going to make me a world champion, it’s not going to build my name more. There are bigger domestic fights out there. […] Those two [Conor Benn and Billy Joe Saunders] are bigger fights than Kell Brook. So yeah, I do have bigger fish to fry!”
It seems now as if Eubank Jr. is sending mixed signals. On one hand, he says he wants to fight Brook, yet on the flip side, he says he has bigger fish to fry than Brook. In actuality, that’s true. However, why call out Brook if the goal is to secure a world title opportunity or a bigger domestic showdown?
Although he’s ranked number one in the WBA, a title opportunity isn’t expected until sometime late in 2022 or 2023. WBA champion Ryota Murata is likely facing IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in a unification bout. There’s also Conor Benn, who called out Eubank Jr. after his win over Williams. Then there’s always the possible rematch with former two-division WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders.
At the moment, it’s hard to pinpoint who Eubank Jr. will face in his next bout. But whoever it is, I think it’s a safe bet to say it’ll be one of his domestic rivals.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
