Chris Eubank Jr. is considered the favorite for Canelo Alvarez’s fight in September

Chris Eubank Jr. has been added to the roster for superstar Canelo Alvarez’s next fight in September.

According to Salvador Rodriguez, Eubank Jr. is now the favorite to be Canelo’s (61-2-2, 39 KOs) next opponent. If former IBO super middleweight champion Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 KOs) gets the spot, he will move up from the 160-pound division to face Alvarez.

“Briton Chris Eubank Jr. has joined the list of possible rivals to Canelo and is now the favorite to sign a deal,” said Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout on X.

Why Eubank Jr.?

WBA contender Edgar Berlanga and former two-weight world champion Jermall Charlo were the two fighters recently considered by Canelo and his manager/trainer Eddy Reynoso as possible opponents for his next fight on September 14 or two to three weeks later.

Choosing Eubank Jr. would be a good idea for Canelo as it would please British boxing fans and wouldn’t upset the US audience as much as if he chose Berlanga or Jermall as his next opponent. Eubank Jr. would be picking the least toxic of the bunch.

Concerns about other candidates

Canelo needs an opponent to prepare him for Terence Crawford, and Eubank Jr. is as good as anyone for that purpose. Berlanga wouldn’t work, as he’s a run-of-the-mill hitter with limited boxing skills and would likely fall apart once Canelo puts the pressure on him.

In the case of Jermall Charlo, Canelo would be taking a risk if he uses him as his next opponent, as the 34-year-old might not make it through training camp without problems and might therefore pull out. Canelo cannot afford that.

Eubank Jr.’s recent performances

Eubank Jr., 34, just won his rematch on September 2, 2023 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, by a tenth-round knockout against former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam Smith.

In his previous fight, Euhank Jr. was surprisingly defeated by Smith, suffering a fourth-round knockout loss on January 21, 2023. Many fans attribute this loss to Euhank Jr. being overconfident and not giving the hard-hitting Smith the respect he deserved by fighting with his back against the ropes and getting knocked to the ground.

Eubank Jr. took Smith more seriously in the rematch and dominated the fight, slowly wearing him down and scoring a knockout in the tenth round. Smith did appear to have lost weight, and it’s unclear how much that affected his performance that night.