A mega fight with Gennady Golovkin may have dissipated, but life goes on for Chris Eubank Jr who has his next opponent in sight. The Brighton-based boxer will make the second defense of his British Middleweight title against unbeaten Tommy Langford on October 22nd at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff.
It goes without saying that the news of a Eubank Jr vs Langford matchup isn’t exactly sending pulses racing among fans. Not because it’s a god-awful pairing, but because, well, Eubank has been ranting on about beating 160-pound titan ‘GGG’ for some time, and is now, er…squaring off against another British-level contender. Again. Underwhelming, right?
But since Eubank (23-1, 18 KO) is arguably still a maturing fighter who needs time to grow, I don’t actually have too many gripes with this fight. And yeah, I’m extremely happy the ‘GGG’ fight actually fell through; Eubank is far too green to lock with horns with that kind of beast, plus we all would’ve been forced to shell out for one of the worst PPV farces in recent memory. In a year’s time, with at least even one solid win over a Top 10 player, I’d give Eubank a shot.
So, if the Langford clash isn’t as bad as it initially seems, then why is there a certain stink about it for hardcore fans in particular? Again, it’s probably all the motor-mouthing about ‘GGG’, plus the fact Eubank hasn’t set his sights higher by aiming for at least a Hassan N’Dam or Daniel Geale. These guys are currently No.9 and No.10 in Boxing Base’s Middleweight Rankings, and would represent a significant jump for Eubank right now.
Moving onto Langford (17-0, 6 KO) himself. The man isn’t particularly heavy-handed but, from what I’ve seen, he’s a decent enough fighter. Sound movement, combination punches, seems strong, and is in his prime at 27. If Langford has any chance in this fight, it’s to outbox Eubank, which, as we saw from the Billy Joe Saunders fight (Eubank lost via Split Decision), isn’t an impossibility.
However, while Langford is an inch taller at 6’ 0”, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to get enough of Eubank’s respect due to that lack of firepower. Naturally, I’m expecting Eubank to walk down this guy sooner rather than later, testing his whiskers with some heavy artillery. Yes, like the Tom Doran fight in June, this seems like another showcase encounter for Eubank.
Hey, Eubank is one of Matchroom Boxing’s surging cash cows right now. I get it. It’s all in for a ‘GGG’ showdown or…Langford. But let’s all hope promoter Eddie Hearn has a little more ambition in Eubank’s next outing. A rematch with Billy Joe Saunders would hit the spot for most of us.
What’s your reaction to Chris Eubank Jr vs Tommy Langford being announced? Fire away in the comments!
