Eubank Jr. Has Plenty To Prove
Ex-Champion Anatoli Muratov Late Substitute in Middleweight Bout
We have a last-minute change to this Saturday’s boxing main event as Chris Eubank Jr. will now face Anatoli Muratov following Sven Elbir’s positive COVID test. Eubank Jr. was a -2500 favorite on the sportsbook against Elbir and he should be around the same area against his new opponent.
Muratov (24-2-1, 17 KOs) is the seventh-ranked middleweight, per the WBA’s rankings. He has won 16 of his last 17 fights with his one blemish a split draw. However, Eubank Jr. (30-2-0, 22 KOs) is a massive step up in competition for him. This is a golden opportunity nonetheless, and Muratov will look to get his name out with an upset over the British contender.
- Date: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET
- Venue: SSE Arena Wembley, London, England
- Watch on: Sky Sports
Last-Minute Audition
The change in opponents should not matter much for Chris Eubank Jr. The British middleweight has set his sights on Canelo Alvarez and the super middleweight division. But he can’t entirely overlook Anatoli Muratov even if he will be a humongous favorite, per the boxing betting lines.
Muratov Could Cash In
Just a few months ago, Yordenis Ugas filled in on 10 days’ notice against living legend Manny Pacquiao. He beat Pacquiao as +270 underdog and set himself up as a contender. Muratov isn’t quite on Ugas’ level but he is also a former champion.
The German, originally born in Kazakhstan, could not jump at this opportunity fast enough. He had already been training and waiting for his shot when news of countryman Sven Elbir dropping out came to Muratov’s gym.
“This is a fantastic moment for me,” said Muratov. “It will be an honor to fight at The SSE Arena, Wembley, and to test my skills against a boxer like Chris Eubank Jr. I’m jumping on this opportunity because that is what warriors do.”
Muratov will enter as an even bigger underdog than Elbir, somewhere around the +1600 range. A win from Muratov may go down as the biggest upset in a year that has already produced so many.
Eubank Jr. Needs A Big Win
Eubank has been on the outside of the top contender circle at super middleweight. He lost to Billy Joe Saunders in a hard-fought split decision at middleweight back in 2014, and again against George Groves in 2018. But the 32-year-old is still growing and can book a marquee matchup with an impressive showing here.
But what does Eubank need to do to impress? He will already be a massive favorite when betting online, somewhere around -5000 to -6000. Even a scintillating knockout win, like the one he had over Avni Yildirim in 2017 may not be enough.
This is how Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s Mandatory Avni Yildirim got on against Chris Eubank Jr.
Cheers WBC, great matchup 👍#CaneloYildirim #Canelo #AvniYıldırım #Eubankjr #boxing #KO #knockout #Knockouts pic.twitter.com/N1X9rANfqb
— Freshfights.com (@freshfights) January 22, 2021
Eubank has not knocked anyone out since that fight. He had a TKO win over Matt Korobov when his opponent dislocated his shoulder and couldn’t continue. Some solid but otherwise ho-hum victories over James DeGale and Marcus Morrison have not moved the needle at all.
But super middleweight could always use new blood. Alvarez has been thrashing everyone put in front of him. With an impressive win here, Eubanks could just find himself next for the Mexican legend.
