“Charlo, Golovkin, all these guys with belts in my division, whoever I can get fast”

Chris Eubank Jr is well positioned to receive a world title fight

Chris Eubank Jr could be within touching distance of a world middleweight title fight as he targets a WBA belt or a clash with WBC champion Jermall Charlo.

The 30-year-old has already claimed the WBA ‘interim’ middleweight title after Matt Korobov retired through injury in New York last December, meaning that Eubank Jr currently sits at No 1 in the WBA rankings.

Mexican star Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Japan’s Ryota Murata both hold versions of the WBA belt, with Eubank Jr in prime position to challenge, while he has also been strongly linked with WBC title holder Jermall Charlo, who faces Sergiy Derevyanchenko on September 26.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is listed as one of the WBA’s champions

“I’m No 1 contender for the WBA world titles,” Eubank Jr told Sky Sports. “So Canelo has the ‘super’ version and Ryota Murata has the ‘regular’ version.

“I’m interim WBA world champion, so those are the fights that make sense. I want those belts.

“Charlo, Golovkin, all these guys with belts in my division, whoever I can get fast.”

Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders were named on a shortlist of opponents for Canelo, who is currently locked in a legal dispute, but Eubank Jr questioned whether his British rivals would seize the chance to face the four-weight champion.

0:32

Eubank Jr says Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders do not want Canelo fight

“Put me in the ring with Canelo, put me in the ring with GGG. These are the guys I want,” he said.

“I understand the situation with Covid. Sometimes these bigger fights are tough to make, but that’s what I want. If I have to fight somebody to get to those guys, then I will do so. In my mind, I only want the top level fights now.

Asked about Saunders and Smith targeting a Canelo fight, Eubank Jr added: “Listen those guys are not pursuing Canelo anyway. Those guys don’t want to fight Canelo.

“Saunders, Smith they are scared of him. They will do anything to bounce around the opportunity to fight with him. I’m the only one that’s really calling his name. I don’t hear anybody else saying they want to fight him.”

Eubank Jr has been preparing with trainer Roy Jones Jr for a return this year, acknowledging that he requires a big-name bout during the peak stage of his career.

“I’m going to fight before the year is out,” he said. “That’s the most I can say right now.

“There’s no set dates, there’s no set opponent, but we are in talks, we are looking at a fight date at this moment in time. It will be within the next few months.

“I’m looking for world titles, I’m looking for the best.

“I’m 30-years-old, 31 in a week or so. We’ve got to go full steam ahead. I’ve got two, three years of prime, athletic ability left and then once you start hitting 34, 35, you start seeing that dip. I want to get in as many fights with as many top opponents as I can.

“He [Jermall Charlo] has a belt in the middleweight division, and I’m looking to take it over, so that fight would be watched closely. I think that’s a 50-50 fight [Charlo vs Derevyanchenko]. I’d love to fight the winner.”