Chris Eubank Leaps at Opening to Challenge Middleweight Champ Gennady Golovkin
On May 7, Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) upset Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) to retain the WBA light heavyweight title. Bivol took control from the opening bell as he put on a boxing display against the reigning undisputed super middleweight champ. World champions and high-profile fighters from 160-175 pounds had a specific eye on what went down. Any moves they want to make largely depend on the results of that fight. One of those fighters paying heavy attention to Bivol-Canelo was current unified middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs).
GGG might have been the most disappointed in the outcome. That’s because there is a deal on the table for him to face Alvarez in a trilogy this September. Now, that matchup is in jeopardy. Alvarez could exercise a rematch clause with Bivol and fight him again either this summer or early fall. Should that happen, what does that mean for the proposed trilogy with GGG? Is his schedule now open?
Given the sudden uncertainty around Golovkin, one fighter is offering himself to fill in the possible void. WBA number one and WBO number four ranked middleweight Chris Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) took to social media to say he’s ready and willing to do battle if Alvarez is unavailable.
In addition, Eubank’s promoter, Kalle Sauerland, told Britain’s SportsMail that they plan to reach out to Golovkin’s handlers this week.
Much of this is contingent on what Alvarez decides to do. He could forego a rematch with Bivol and fight Golovkin in September. From a financial perspective, the trilogy fight is more profitable than a rematch with Bivol. Sauerland is fully aware of this dynamic.
SHOOTING THEIR SHOT
“There’s one thing that Canelo says in the ring, that he’s going to have the rematch with Bivol, but it’s another thing exercising it in writing. We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens there.
We know the Golovkin people well. We’ve always said he’s the number one on the list, of course. He’s the standing champion at middleweight, and that’s the one that Eubank wants. We’ll have to just wait and see about the situation between Canelo and Bivol.”
Kalle Sauerland, Gennady Golovkin promoter
This is not the first time Eubank has expressed a desire to face the middleweight champ. The 32-year-old has talked about fighting Golovkin since 2016. Will it finally happen in 2022? It doesn’t seem likely. But this is boxing, so never say never. Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for any additional updates.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
