'I want to do whatever the fans want to see' - Says Chris Bank Jr. After His Win Over Liam Smith
Chris Eubank Jr has a shot at becoming a legitimate world champion after avenging his earlier loss to Liam Smith. In their rematch, which took place earlier this month, Eubank Jr put on a stellar performance at Manchester Arena and secured a tenth-round knockout victory. As a result, he has now climbed to the top spot in the WBO middleweight rankings, positioning himself as the mandatory challenger for a world title opportunity. The current holder of the 160lbs WBO belt is Janibek Alimkhanuly, an undefeated fighter from Kazakhstan with a record of 14-0. Alimkhanuly is scheduled to defend his title in a unification bout against IBF middleweight world champion Vincenzo Gualtieri in Texas on October 14. While becoming a world champion is a lifelong aspiration for any boxer, Eubank Jr may have reservations about facing the winner of Alimkhanuly vs. Gualtieri, as they are not widely recognized in the boxing world. Eubank Jr, who has previously held the IBO middleweight title and the WBA interim middleweight belt, is more inclined towards pursuing significant fights for the remainder of his career. Eubank expressed his desire to give the fans what they want to see, emphasizing that there are numerous big-name opponents and exciting opportunities available, including world title fights and high-profile matchups.
“I want to do whatever the fans want to see,” the 34-year-old said after his latest win. “There’s some huge names out there, there’s some big opportunities. World titles, big fights, it’s all on the table.”In recent discussions, there has been talk of a potential grudge match between Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. They were initially slated to face off in October 2022, but their pay-per-view event was canceled due to Benn failing two drug tests. Benn is set to make his long-awaited comeback in Florida and is expected to call out Eubank after the fight. Promoter Eddie Hearn is eager to initiate negotiations for a potential showdown in Britain, possibly in December, which could prove to be a highly lucrative and exciting matchup.
