For a time, it was Gennadiy Golovkin, the hard-hitting former middleweight king from Kazakhstan. Then, when that never materialised, Chris Eubank Jnr turned his attention to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, an opponent no easier to beat and a fight no more likely to happen.
In the meantime, Eubank Jnr would build his record and reputation on the scalps of opponents several levels below the level he aspired to reach, making any potential jump that much greater. Soon, in fact, people were under the distinct impression that Eubank Jnr was merely using those names – Golovkin, Alvarez – as a way of getting publicity without having any real desire to actually one day fight them. A fight against Golovkin, for instance, was there on the table for Eubank Jnr in 2016, only for him to have a change of heart at the eleventh hour and allow Kell Brook, a welterweight, to take the opportunity instead.
As for Alvarez, that always just seemed like a good name for Eubank Jnr to say. He wasn’t alone, either. They were all at it. Fighting the Mexican, you see, is the goal for any boxer in and around middleweight on account of the money it generates and Eubank Jnr, if nothing else, loves to make money by fighting.
Better yet, he is, at the age of 35, perhaps never more marketable than he is right now. Two months ago, he beat longtime rival Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of 60,000 fans and was even that night cheered to the ring and viewed as the “hero” to Benn’s “villain”.
A surprise, this reception also suggested Eubank Jnr had entered a new phase in his 14-year career and that opportunities could now come as a result of it. There will, of course, be a rematch with Benn, likely to happen later this year, but should he win that, Eubank Jnr, there will presumably then be a demand to see him again in an even bigger and more meaningful fight.
That’s where Saul “Canelo” Alvarez could re-emerge as a potential target. The key difference this time, however, is that Eubank Jnr, with his profile growing and time running out, might be (a) more inclined to go through with it and (b) viewed as a lucrative option for Alvarez, despite the Mexican’s riches and power in the sport.
Alvarez, after all, is nearing the end himself now. At 34, he doesn’t have too many years and big fights left and few are bigger than his next one against Terence Crawford on September 13. Beyond that, should he continue fighting, he will need other opponents and he will need adventures compelling enough to keep him motivated.
In that respect, maybe Eubank Jnr, 35-3 (25), fits the bill. Even if the act of beating the Brighton man does little for Canelo’s overall legacy, Eubank Jnr remains a relatively big name, both in Britain and globally, and stylistically it could be a fight that suits Alvarez as his feet start to slow and all he wants to do is punch.
Suddenly, when you put it like that, it’s not as far-fetched as it once seemed. In fact, there have already been talks in that direction, at least according to Eubank Jnr’s manager Elliott Amoakoh. “Hopefully Canelo gets through Terence Crawford, we get through Conor Benn and then they’ll do it next,” Amoakoh told talkSPORT. “So that’s the negotiations going on right now.
“Turki [Alalshikh, the financier from Saudi Arabia] promised it to us. If Chris comes through that, Eubank Jr-Canelo, here we go. That’s what we want. We get through Conor Benn and then we want Canelo.”
Given the close nature of the first fight between Eubank Jnr and Benn, it is no guarantee that Eubank Jnr escapes any proposed rematch with a second win to his name. Similarly, given the brilliance of Terence Crawford, it cannot be promised that Alvarez, although naturally bigger than Crawford, will emerge from their fight in Las Vegas on September 13 as the world super-middleweight champion.
What is more, aware as we are of Chris Eubank Jnr’s flaky relationship with big names and big fights, it is important to take everything we hear on that front with a pinch of salt. As true now as it was of his fight with Conor Benn in April, seeing is believing.