CHRIS EUBANK JR has revealed to Boxing News the reasons why a fight against unified super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez didn’t materialise last month.
The 35-year-old had been in negotiations to face the Mexican superstar in Las Vegas but a deal couldn’t be struck. Instead, Edgar Berlanga won the Canelo sweepstakes and went on to lose on points in a fight which was a steep learning curve for the 27-year-old.
Eubank has now moved on and is next out on October 12 against Polish veteran Kamil Szeremeta. Their middleweight bout is part of a seven-fight card in Riyadh headed by the undisputed light-heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fighting Canelo is still something Eubank would like to pursue but only if he receives an offer which he believes is fair and worthwhile.
“They were trying to make that fight for this September,” Eubank said.
“Me being the businessman that I am, understood that the deal they were giving me was no good.
“For a guy who’s making 35 to 50 million a fight, don’t offer me the numbers you were offering me. To a normal guy in the street, that’s life changing. It’s not life changing to me, and I know what’s being made everywhere else, so don’t give me those numbers.”
“So that was one issue,” he continued. “Another issue was, and the most important issue, I’ve been out of the ring for a year. I’m not just going in there. I’m going in there to beat Canelo.
“I’m not going in there to you know, just make up one of his shows like so many other guys do. Get a bit of money and bounce. No, I want that guy scalped.”
Canelo holds three of the four world super-middleweight titles. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Eubank is confident he can take down Canelo but clearly wants to shake off some ring rust before stepping in the ring with the four-division world champion.
“You don’t take a guy scalped like that after being inactive for a year. I’m not thirsty for money, so I don’t need to jump when you put the number in front of me. There’s only a few guys that you [Canelo] can fight.
“I know that fight’s going to be there next year. And by next year, I would have had two, three fights under my belt. I will be on a routine, I’ll be on a schedule, I’ll have my momentum, and then I’ll go and take him out.”