RIVAL Chris Eubank Jr EXCLUSIVE: I’m the biggest fight for Canelo Alvarez at middleweight, Billy Joe Saunders is a ‘lowlife’ and deserves to miss out

Chris Eubank Jr has told talkSPORT.com he is targeting a fight with Canelo Alvarez in the near future.

The 30-year-old middleweight and super-middleweight contender recorded the biggest win of his career in 2019, as he outpointed bitter rival James DeGale in London.

Following on from that victory, Eubank Jr dropped back down to middleweight for a bout with Matt Korobov.

The Brit won in frustrating circumstances as, after just two rounds, his opponent suffered a shoulder injury and could not continue.

Canelo was due to face Billy Joe Saunders on May 2, but the bout was scrapped by the coronavirus pandemic days before it was set to be officially announced.

Now, it’s understood that the Mexican is exploring other options for a possible bout behind closed doors.



Eubank Jr told talkSPORT.com: “With Canelo, that is a fight that I’m gunning for and I’ve been saying it for the longest time.

“In an ideal world I would not wanna fight him in a non-crowd event, but that’s the question, do you take what you can get?

“I don’t really think I’m that kind of fighter, I’m the number one contender in the WBA so it’s not like I’m not there.

“It’s a tough one, because I do really want that fight, but I feel like the fans would get robbed, there are people who would want to be there to watch that.

“That’s an arena fight, a stadium fight. But again, I’m there to win the belts, I’m there to fight the big names.”

When asked if he’d potentially be willing to take less money to secure the dream bout, Eubank Jr replied: “I mean it depends how low you’re talking. I don’t know the numbers, I don’t know what they are offering or expecting.

“That’s such a huge fight, a hard fight, it’s not easy. It’s a dangerous fight so you want to be rewarded for it.

“As far as I’ve heard, my name is not in the mix for the ‘smaller’ option. I don’t think they would ever use me as a stepping stone for a bigger fight.

“I think I am the biggest fight in the middleweight division for sure, the most fan friendly option I think for Canelo.”

Upon hearing that his old rival Saunders may now miss out on his planned bout with Canelo, Eubank Jr had little sympathy.

He concluded: “That’s what he deserves, the guy’s a lowlife. He’s an extremely bad representative for the sport that we all love.

“Why should he fight somebody like a Canelo when he’s gonna go in there and try and survive for the money?

“That’s the type of guy Billy Joe Saunders is, so it’s a good thing he’s not.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/7...-joe-saunders/