Fight fans may have heard the news by now, of it being possible that British star Chris Eubank Junior could be the next man to fight Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez. And those fans who have heard the news have made their feelings clear. To be clear, no-body, as in nobody aside from Eubank Jr and his immediate family, is a fan of this potential fight. Why? Because, quite simply, there are so many other, far more worthy challengers out there for Canelo, fighters the fans, the paying fans, want to see the pound-for-pound share a ring with – most notably Canelo’s WBC 168 pound mandatory challenger, David Benavidez.
Instead of giving the fans, the paying fans, what they want, Canelo, who we all know calls his own shots, is seriously said to be eyeing a fight with the still largely unproven – his best win being a decision victory over a faded James DeGale – Eubank Jr. This, the critics have made clear, is just not good enough. 34 year old Eubank is 33-3(24) and he is coming off a revenge win over Liam Smith last September. Is this really enough to have earned him a shot at Canelo?
Benavidez is without a doubt the man we want to see Canelo face, while other names, such as Edgar Berlanga (in what would be a Mexico Vs. Puerto Rico showdown), the winner of the August bout between Christiam Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, or one or two other guys would have been far more preferable to Eubank Jr.
Some of the comments from fans on the apparently in the works Canelo-Eubank fight:
“Disgraceful fight.”
“Wow, Canelo really is terrified of David [Benavidez!]”
“Just out him in there with Jake Paul already!”
“Easy fight for Canelo, and that’s why it might actually happen.”
“Canelo puts him in a box.”
If it is Canelo-Eubank next, there seems to be no way Canelo will be able to fully claw back some of his lost reputation. It may be a ruse, with this fight put out there to gauge a reaction, with Canelo and his people actually considering another fight. Maybe, but not likely.
What seems likely at this point in time is a fight between Canelo and a challenger who seems to have almost no shot at winning. Who on earth will pay to see this fight if it is thrust upon us in September?
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