Chris Eubank Jr recently popped up, to the surprise of many, as a potential opponent for Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez.
The Brit has been out of the ring since avenging his loss to Liam Smith by stoppage in September of 2023. He recently announced a promotional partnership with BOXXER and Sky Sports and, with that, was mentioned as one of two frontrunners to land the Canelo fight this coming September.
Ultimately the opportunity went to undefeated number one contender Edgar Berlanga, who will continue the longstanding Puerto Rico vs Mexico fighting rivalry when he challenges for Canelo’s unified super-middleweight world titles.
Some in the sport believed Eubank was only mentioned as a bargaining tool but promoter Ben Shalom said talks fell apart because Canelo’s team couldn’t come up with a number the Brit felt he was worth.
Now, speaking to Boxing King Media, the 34-year-old has revealed the fight was turned down because of his period of inactivity and how he felt that would impact a performance against one of the best fighters in the world.
“I’ve been out of the ring for a year. You don’t go a year without fighting and then go into a mega fight, not if you’re looking to actually win and perform and do what you’re supposed to do. Which is why I didn’t take the Canelo fight when it was offered to me.”
Eubank confirmed that Alvarez is still on hit hit-list for the future. He returns to the ring against Kamil Szeremeta, a former European Middleweight Champion from Poland, on October 12.
