Chris Eubank Jr. mistakenly called out Gennadiy Golovkin for middleweight titles the Kazakh legend vacated some time ago.
After his superb win over Liam Smith, the Brighton man took to the microphone to lay out his plans. However, losing to Smith in January must have made Eubank lose focus on the division, as ‘GGG’ doesn’t hold any championships.
“I want to fight GGG. I don’t know where he is right now. But wherever you are, Gennadiy, you’ve been holding onto them belts for too long. I want to take one. So let’s get that on if we can,” he said after the stoppage.
Adding to Sky Sports, Eubank stated: “There’s no real ideal fight. There are so many great names out there.
“I would love to fight Golovkin. I want to fight for a world title. But there’s great domestic names out there, too.”
Gennadiy Golovkin no longer holds any world titles
Vincenzo Gualtieri has the IBF version after defeating Esquiva Falcão in July. The WBA ruler is Erislandy Lara, a regular champion to Golovkin but elevated after the former unified king didn’t confirm a return to action.
Golovkin walked away after suffering a loss to Canelo Alvarez in their trilogy. It’s unlikely he will return unless there’s a mega-offer.
Eubank can look forward to another big payday after dominating Smith and gaining revenge.
According to CompuBox, Eubank Jr. was in the form of his life on the night.
The CompuBox statistics reflected the one-sided beating that Eubank Jr. administered to avenge his first knockout loss.
Eubank Jr. threw 448 more punches than Smith. He landed almost as many power punches [125] as Smith threw [132].
Chris Eubank Jr. on form
Eubank threw more jabs (294) than power punches [286], reflecting his more measured approach in this rematch.
Smith couldn’t evade Eubank’s offense, absorbing 51 body punches while only landing 8 of his own.
Eubank knocked Smith down in the fourth round and hurt him several times before knocking Smith down and forcing the stoppage in the tenth round.
Both men come out of this pair of fights with their profiles raised, respect earned, and both with fans won. No one can argue both aren’t among the top 15 fighters in the world at 160 pounds.
Whether this brace of fights across 2023 becomes a trilogy next, or both men move on to other things, this boxing rivalry was fierce for UK fans to absorb.
As Eubank aims for titles, Smith needs to regroup.
“Everything from start to finish. I was flat. I think the weight killed me. I was flat. Chris was sharp. Chris was the better man tonight,” Smith told Sky Sports in his interview.
