CHRIS EUBANK JNR insists he has the style to upset unified middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin should they meet later this year.
The Brightonian has been pursuing ‘GGG’ for several months and a deal is reportedly on the verge of being finalised this week.
So far WBA, WBC and IBF champion Golovkin has looked imperious during his unbeaten 35 fight career, though Eubank believes he has the tools to dethrone the Kazakh.
“I believe my style would cause Golovkin all types of problems. He’s a strong power-puncher, but he’s slow in my opinion,” he told Boxing News.
“Speed kills. For every one power punch he throws, I believe I’ll be able to throw three, four, five hard, fast shots. If you do the math, how can he beat me? He can only beat me by knocking me out, and I know my chin. I’m confident I can take a punch, and on top of that I’ve got a great defence, I don’t get hit anyway. So this is where I get my confidence from in fighting a man like that.”
Golovkin, currently on a 22 fight stoppage streak and holding the highest knockout percentage in middleweight championship history (91), is considered one of the best – and most dangerous – fighters in the world today.
He walloped unfancied Dominic Wade in two rounds in April, after picking up the IBF title by dismantling David Lemieux last year.
However Eubank, whose sole loss came to Billy Joe Saunders in 2014, remains unimpressed by Golovkin’s CV, which also includes wins over Martin Murray and Daniel Geale, and feels the 34-year-old’s foes have been intimidated by his fearsome reputation.
“He hasn’t fought anyone of true note and the guys he has fought, a lot of them were mentally beaten before they’d even got in there,” he continued.
“They were just there to survive. So when you meet somebody who wants to go in there and bring the fight to him, I think it’s going to be a completely different story.”
Golovkin’s lack of a marquee opponent is not his own doing, as he and his team have actively pursued fights with the top names in and around his division. The most desirable opponent is two-weight world champion Canelo Alvarez.
Golovkin was installed as mandatory challenger to the WBC middleweight title Canelo held, though the Mexican vacated the belt to eliminate the deadlines on negotations it carried. ‘GGG’ subsequently inherited the title.
Golden Boy Promotions, who handle Canelo, recently announced that the two sides have verbally agreed on a fight for September 2017, and that Alvarez will fight WBO super-welterweight champion Liam Smith this September.
Eubank, like most, was disappointed by Canelo’s decision to can his title.
“Everyone seems to be ducking this guy, even Alvarez, giving up his title so he doesn’t have to fight him.,” he said.
“I’m not that type of man, I want to fight the best in the world so I can prove that I am on this level, so I can prove that no one is unbeatable.”
