Wasserman announced on Friday that Chris Eubank Jr. has moved on from the Sauerland Brothers in an amicable departure.
The British middleweight star, the number one contender to unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, is set for new pastures after months on the sidelines.
Eubank becomes a free agent following a turbulent recent time with the Sauerlands. A recent disagreement over the choice of opponent may well have contributed to the parting.
In December, Eubank went public with his disappointment. He said: โI went to sleep after agreeing to fight Janibek for world titles. I woke up, and now my promoter is trying to make me fight Etinosa Oliha.
โHeโs a boxer nobody has heard of. How and why?โ
Sauerland had mentioned Oliha, a 19-0 champion holding the IBO belt, as a potential foe due to a mandatory order. However, Janibek remained Eubank’s first choice.
Rumors around the campfire are escalating that Janibek is about to agree to a defense against Shane Mosley Jr. That whisper only aired over the past 24 hours before Wasserman confirmed the split.
They said: “Itโs been an emotional ride! Wishing you all the best for the future, Chris and Nova Sports!”
Itโs been an emotional ride! Wishing you all the best for the future Chris and Nova Sports! pic.twitter.com/6FcZNw3Kgn
โ Wasserman Boxing (@WassermanBoxing) April 27, 2024
Regarding Janibek, the Mosley roadblock will be a blow, as the Kazakh puncher was previously interested in facing Eubank. He told Sky Sports: โI donโt see Eubank Jr as a good fighter. โIf heโs running from me, it means they are in a lower position.
โDemetrius Andrade had no interest in fighting me. I wanted to fight him because I knew I would knock him out. He ran away to super middleweight to avoid fighting me.
โIโd have no issue fighting Jermall Charlo for his WBC title. We are both champions, so letโs unify the belts. Charlo would be easy work for me, and he knows that. Champions should fight other champions. Itโs too bad the other so-called โchampionsโ do not feel that way.โ
If that door does close for Eubank, the Brighton man has to move quickly to secure a big-name return. Whether that will be in the UK, Saudi Arabia, or the United States remains an open debate.
Should Eubank want to resurrect the Conor Benn fight, there’s the Matchroom option. Eddie Hearn would undoubtedly hold interest in securing Eubank Jr. on a two or three-fight deal to get him in the ring with Benn, potentially using the might of Saudi Arabia Chairman Turki Alalshikh as bait.
Due to Eubank’s previous ties to Al Haymon, Premier Boxing Champions is another possibility. The Jermall Charlo fight was on the cards in the past, as exclusively revealed by World Boxing News. The battle ultimately failed despite Eubank doing his part and defeating Matt Korobov.
The final logical choice would be BOXXER, where Eubank has campaigned in two fights against Liam Smith. Even a one-fight deal for a trilogy is a consideration – if only an outside chance at this point.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.