Chris Eubank employs a body attack to stop Wanik Awdijan
Middleweight championship challenger “Next-Gen” Chris Eubank Jr (30-2, 22ko) will finally be back in the ring after having his fight date of October 2 scrubbed against unknown Wanik Awdijan (28-1, 11ko).
Awdijan is relatively unknown in the boxing community but is extremely popular in his resident country of Germany. His favorite boxing idols are retired fighters Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao and Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Moreover, he opted to turn pro at the age of 16 and skipped the amateur circuit while learning on the job. He is a former IBF Youth middleweight titlist and will be fighting in the United Kingdom for the first time.
Eubank Jr was set to fight Anatoli Muratov on October 2. However, Muratov pulled out the day of the fight with health issues cited by the BBBofC. Next-Gen went from being the main event to the undercard of WBO middleweight champion Savannah Marshall’s title defense against Lolita Muzeya
Nonetheless, he is looking to make a statement after dealing with the loss of his older brother, Sebastian. He is motivated towards a world title shot soon. Ranked #3 and #1 by the WBC and WBA, a title opportunity should present itself sometime soon. Furthermore, he is linked to a heated social media exchange with former title challenger Liam Williams.
A DIFFERENCE IN CLASS
After the first round, which was devoid of action, Eubank came out more aggressive. He was pinning his opponent up against the ropes and unloading power punches to the body, finishing with the uppercut. Awdijan came out fighting in the southpaw stance, looking to confuse Eubank. He stayed up on his toes boxing and was able to land the counter straight left-hand.
As the fight would continue, Eubank was finding a groove with a lead left hook. Moreover, he was cutting off the ring, pinning Awdijan against the ropes, and attacking the body with punishing left and right hooks. It was becoming clear that the momentum was all Eubank. He continued to invest in the body attack, and his opponent was not answering back.
At the end of the fifth round, Awdijan’s corner called for the referee to stop the fight, giving Chris Eubank his fifth victory in a row.
During the post-fight interview, Eubank revealed his opponent claimed to have suffered a broken rib and could not continue. The British fighter called for a return to the ring against a big name, wanting anyone with a championship.
By: Garrisson Bland
