It went from a routine tune-up to a horrific outcome.
Chris Eubank Jr. didn’t believe for a single second that Liam Smith was on his level. So, when the two initially met up in the first month of the year, the 33-year-old expected their showdown to be a walk in the park. The game plan was simple, Eubank would play with him in the first few rounds before eventually putting the former champion out of his misery in the second half. Things, however, didn’t go according to plan.
Eubank, despite finding success in the first three rounds, was brutally stopped in the fourth. In their immediate rematch, nevertheless, he turned the tables, blasting Smith out in the 10th this past Saturday night.
Following the win, Eubank (33-3-1, 24 KOs) grabbed the nearest microphone he could find and proceeded to rattle off a list of names that he wanted to face next. The 33-year-old called out Conor Benn, Kell Brook, and last but not least, Gennadiy Golovkin.
Although those previously mentioned opponents made sense, Janibek Alimkhanuly was waiting patiently for Eubank to call him out as well. In the end, the current WBO champion was a bit vexed that he was left out of the picture.
After giving it a bit of thought, the 30-year-old champion began to smile. Although it came across as a slight originally, he believes he knows why Eubank strayed away from mentioning his name.
“Why does he need Golovkin?” Questioned Alimkhanuly on his social media account. “Do you know why he doesn’t mention my name? Because I’m a nightmare. There is only one king in middleweight! And that’s me!”
Alimkhanuly’s claim to the middleweight throne could get a bit more legitimacy in the coming months. On October 14th, he’ll look to unify titles when he takes on newly minted champion, Vincenzo Gualtieri.
With his eyes focused on wrapping two belts around his waist, Alimkhanuly is putting in the work during an arduous training camp. As for Eubank, Alimkhanuly doesn't believe that a showdown between them, if it ever came to fruition, would be competitive.
“He is easy work!”