Who is Chris Eubank Jr fighting next? Canelo Alvarez, Janibek Alimkhanuly, Conor Benn all in the frame

Chris Eubank Jr. could make a world title fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly, but Top Rank president Todd DuBoef wonders if the British contender is ‘dodging’ the fearsome WBO champion.

Eubank Jr is assessing his options after taking revenge on Liam Smith with a dominant win in last month’s rematch in Manchester.

But it remains to be seen whether the 34-year-old will target a title holder or another domestic rival after rejuvenating his career.

“I want to do what the fans want to see,” Eubank Jr. said.

“There are some big names, there are some big opportunities. World titles, big fights, it’s all on the table.”

With the win, Eubank Jr. the No. 1 contender for Alimkhanuly, who has held the WBO middleweight title since August 2022, and the major Kazakh side have welcomed the prospect of a fight.

He wrote on social media: “Now Chris Eubank is number one in the WBO rankings.

“I’ll knock him out in the first round with my eyes closed! He knows it. If he agrees to fight me, this fight will have to take place in Vegas!”

Alimkhanuly’s promotional team, Top Rank, is keen to organize the fight, but DuBoef is unsure if Eubank Jr. would accept the offer of a world title.

“I think you hit something, the answer is definitely yes,” DuBoef said when asked about the fight.

“But it takes two to make a fight, and for some reason no one will actually go to the participant.

“The competitor is overtly concerned with leaving, dodging or moving away from the opponent – ​​his team would want it, his mother would want it – but if the athlete doesn’t want the fight, it won’t happen.

“It takes two people to fight, and years ago there was a different model.

“We’ve turned into a model where we’re trying to bring the highest quality and the best fights to our platform, and we think the whole industry is on the rise, and everyone can go surfing in a big wave instead of a small one pond.”

Eubank Jr.’s camp declined the opportunity to comment on these claims.

Undefeated Alimkhanuly returns to action on October 15 in a unification bout against IBF champion Vincenzo Gualtieri, live on Sky Sports.

While Alimkhanuly vs Eubank Jr seems unlikely, the British boxer issued his own social media challenge to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez after the Mexican star secured a unanimous decision victory over Jermell Charlo last weekend.

“Canelo has to fight someone who really wants to win, not just survive, secure a payday and then give him a nice hug,” Eubank Jr. said. on X (formerly Twitter).

“This is getting embarrassing.

“I don’t want a hug…I want that scalp!”

Eubank Jr is also targeted by Conor Benn, who had his first fight in 18 months in September, securing a points victory over Rodolfo Orozco in Orlando.

Benn has been absent from the sport since April last year after testing positive for a banned substance ahead of a scheduled fight with Eubank Jr. in October 2022.

The British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) appealed a decision by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel to lift Benn’s provisional ban from boxing, but he resumed his career in America.

Eubank Jr posted sleeping emojis in response to Benn’s win and suggested his rival might be “in trouble”, but it remains to be seen if that fight can go ahead in the near future.

Watch Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Vincenzo Gualtieri live on Sky Sports on October 15.