BRITISH trainer Shane McGuigan has not ruled out a possible clash between rising star Adam Azim and Harlem Eubank in the not too distant future.
The pair were supposed to collide at a catchweight of 143lbs last year, but their mouth-watering matchup ultimately fell through when Azim, 13-0 (10 KOs), rolled his ankle.
After recovering from his injury, ‘The Assassin’ locked horns with domestic rival Ohara Davies last October, producing a measured performance to floor his opponent twice en route to an eighth-round stoppage victory.
Following that, the 23-year-old then halted Sergey Lipinets – a former world champion representing a sizable step-up in levels – in an equally dominant display last month.
Eubank, 20-0 (8 KOs), meanwhile, has since moved up to welterweight after ending a year-long spell of inactivity with an eight-round blowout last November.
His assignment this Friday promises to provide him with a much sterner test, however, with the 31-year-old taking on seasoned operator Tyrone McKenna.
The pair will collide at the Brighton Centre, England, as Eubank looks to put on a statement performance in front of his home fans.
Regarding Azim’s immediate future, it would appear that he could be out as soon as May or June, with the explosive technician having just started fasting for Ramadan.
Nevertheless, that time frame remains realistic in the eyes of his head coach, McGuigan, who is already considering options for his next opponent.
The plan at this stage in Azim’s career, though, is to keep him fighting at super-lightweight, making a potential matchup with Eubank somewhat less likely.
“If [Eubank] wants to come back down to 140lbs then 100 per cent, that’s a great fight,” McGuigan told Boxing News.
“That’s the fight we were actually looking [to make] for the [Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn] card [on April 26]. But once again, he’s got his team and we’ve got our team.
“Even though he’s 31 years of age and has been a career 140lb fighter, [Eubank] now wants to move up to [welterweight]. It’s his own decision.
“I just think that Harlem Eubank’s not going to go on to be a superstar, with his age, where he’s at in his career and his ability. He should have taken that [Azim] fight in my opinion.”
