Chris Eubank Jr's Canelo Alvarez fight plans thrown into doubt due to Anthony Joshua
A potential bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Canelo Alvarez has reached a roadblock due to the conflicting fight featuring Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
Should Chris Eubank Jr. and Canelo Alvarez step into the ring together, chances are it won’t take place in the United Kingdom. According to the British boxer’s promoter, the potential bout would likely be held in Las Vegas, so as not to compete with Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois.
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On Tuesday, Ben Shalom - who signed Eubank Jr. to the Boxxer roster earlier this month - divulged that talks between his new client and Alvarez were ongoing. Rumours have suggested that the fight would be staged in the UK, considering it’d provide the Mexican boxer a chance to grow his international following.
Speaking to Boxing Scene, Shalom shot down this hearsay, conceding that it wasn’t feasible for the UK to host the bout so close to the IBF heavyweight title fight between Dubois and Joshua, which will take place at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
“We have talked about (staging the fight in the UK),” Shalom revealed. “The difficulty we’ve had with that one is that with the AJ card on September 21 it’s hard to envision another stadium card a week either side of that. That’s been the main barrier.
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“I think Canelo knows that if he’s to box in the UK, which he is attracted to for the sake of his legacy, then Eubank is the only opponent who could generate the sort of numbers that he’d want and the spectacle he’d want. That is ongoing and being talked about, but the initial offer has all been around Las Vegas in September.”
Besides location, financial compensation has also served as a major roadblock in fight negotiations. “As usual, it comes down to money,” Shalom added. “Chris has a certain expectation for a fight like that; he’s earned a huge amount during his career, and he’s got other big fights being offered to him but it’s definitely a fight that he wants. Negotiations are ongoing but it all comes down to whether it makes financial sense for him.
“I think anyone that fights Canelo knows that, whether that’s (David) Benavidez or anyone else that’s been talked about,” he continued. “But I think for Chris, he’s such a big name in the UK, every time he fights he generates interest and money. As a promoter all you can do, sometimes, is get the deal on the table and present it. Ultimately it comes down to the fighter and whether, financially, it works for him.”
Shalom speculated that there was currently a “50/50” chance that Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 KOs) and Alvarez (61-2-2 39 KOs) actually face off - but also recognized that his fighter won’t be able to secure the biggest fights for much longer.
“I think he knows it’s now or never [to fight] a lot of the names that have been talked about throughout his career,” he said of Eubank Jr., who turns 35 in September. “He also wants world titles. It’s good to get someone at that stage of their career, with their name built, ready for the big fights. He’s a realist and he knows that the next 18 months to two years are where all his big fights need to happen.”
