A good deal of fans, along with some experts, collectively shook their heads when it was recently announced how British star (of a sort, yet to back up his claims to true stardom; his surname doing more work) Chris Eubank Jr had signed on to fight Matt Korobov on December 7. What would Eubank Jr, 28-2(21) gain from the fight, one he could very easily either lose or struggle to win and be made to look pretty bad in?
Well, it seems Eubank Jr had a plan in place: win next month and get a fight with WBC champ Jermall Charlo. Charlo will fight Dennis Hogan in the headliner next month, and the two men have an agreement to fight one another if they both come through okay. And you know it’s an interesting fight.
Charlo, 29-0(21) has the look of a future star, in fact he has done for some time. Added to this is the fact that Eubank Jr is now going up against a man who Charlo had a reasonably tough time with: being unable to halt Korobov a little under a year ago. Can Eubank Jr now go one better than Charlo and KO or stop Korobov? If so, it will make the upcoming USA Vs. UK battle all that more fascinating.
For a long time, Eubank Jr (son of course of a love to hate British boxing legend) has spoken loudly of his skills, of his ability, of his greatness. If he can A: beat Korobov (more marks if he can do so by KO) and then B: beat Charlo, and win a legit world title (you are forgiven for neglecting to recognise Jr’s IBO strap, the one he won up at 168 pounds), the 30 year old from Brighton would be at least some ways on in his way towards living up to his boasts.
But can Eubank Jr beat Charlo? Charlo has in turn looked great and has also been made to labour in fights, he is not yet the finished article. Some say Eubank Jr never will be the finished article, that his arrogance will always prove problematic in terms of both his ability and his ability to learn and to listen. This fight, one that relies on both men winning on December 7, is, to repeat, a fascinating prospect – and a potentially great fight.
We know Eubank Jr is tough, in possession of a sturdy chin. We also know that Charlo has in him the capacity to box quite beautifully. We could be treated to some fight next year if this one takes place. Who wins? It’s a 50/50 affair, maybe 60/40 in favor of Charlo. But who wouldn’t want to see this fight go down?
