Chris Eubank Jr. - What's next?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Chris Eubank Jnr lined up for December in Nigeria; Moses Itauma-Anthony Joshua the dream

While boxing is forever looking for the next big check, there are some hoping to utilise boxing to galvanise their communities.

Dr Ezekiel Adamu, head of Balmoral Promotions in Lagos, Nigeria, is hoping to become a significant player in the sport, while the sport enhances what is on offer for residents in Nigeria.

They have already started rolling out events, fight cards that include both sanctioned matches and influencer bouts.

The next show is on July 31 and, in December, he hopes Chris Eubank Jnr will box on one of his events.

“We are working on one this December, which actually includes Chris Eubank Jnr, and with another fight, I'm not allowed to say that [what bout it is] yet, but I believe this December, we should buy us that time to get into the proper big league of promoters as well. We are looking to do a big stadium fight this December, so we are building.”

They have a head start, too, galvanised by the online numbers for their last controversial promotion that saw streamers threaten to get out of hand with the “celebrity beef” of two of the well-known combatants.

Balmoral are trying to fuel entertainment with sport, having some licensed bouts share bills with streamers in a bid to increase the number of eyeballs on their shows.

“You can’t really argue with the last show we’ve done where we’ve done about two billion views across all socials and about 4.2 billion impressions across all socials as well,” Dr Adamu added. “I think we’ve got some of our posts on DAZN that has done 16 million views and just one post, some have done 8 million views. So, yeah, so it’s a growing sport, and then what we’ve done as well too is to infuse a bit of entertainment into it as well too.”

But Dr Adamu hopes their promotions will inspire more young men and women in Nigeria to take up boxing, and he has grand plans.

“Before I got into boxing, I think I have the largest network of venues here in West Africa, so I know about venue management, I know about venues,” he added. “We are looking to get concession of some venues as well, too, from the government, where we bring investment to be like something like the London Olympic Stadium, and so that’s the long-term plan, what we’re doing. What we’re building is beyond boxing, to be honest with you. It’s a proper infrastructure when it comes to sports development… To be honest with you, I think we started boxing about 18 months ago and then where we are at the moment, I don’t think any African promoter has gotten promotion to get to this level before. I think the biggest one we've done before was Zaire and that was Don King coming here to promote fight here in Africa. I have a 10-year plan, I’m trying to achieve that in six months and see how it goes. So I’m an overachiever, I’ll keep pushing. The time we’ll get there, I don’t know.

“It could be the next one, it could be by the end of this year, it could be next year, who knows. But here, it’s never about perfection for us, it’s about momentum. I think the biggest one we’ve done before was Zaire and that was Don King coming here to promote fight here in Africa [George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali in 1974].”

Does Dr Adamu have a dream fight, a modern day rumble he has in mind that he’d like to showcase in Africa?

“I would say if it’s to do with a fight here in Nigeria and Africa, that makes sense, especially in Nigeria, I would say a Moses Itauma and AJ [Anthony Joshua] fight because they’re both Nigerians. Maybe get [Deontay] Wilder on the card as well, because he’s got Nigerian blood in him as well. Get [Daniel] Dubois also on the card. He’s also got Nigerian blood in him. But I mean, for me, the big fight would be AJ versus Moses Itauma in Nigeria.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Eubank Jr. lined up for December ring return in Lagos, Nigeria

Chris Eubank Jr could return to the ring in Nigeria this December, in a fight described as the biggest African event since the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle.

Eubank Jr has not boxed since he was widely outpointed by his bitter rival Conor Benn in their November rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He has since been addressing the health issues which badly affected his preparation for the fight against Benn, who he had beaten via UD when they first met in The Ring's 2025 Fight of the Year last April.

Eubank Jr, who has been urged to retire by his famous father Chris Sr, had been linked with a move to Matchroom and Eddie Hearn but now it seems his next fight could take place in Nigeria.

Dr Ezekiel Adamu, the man behind the Chaos in the Ring events broadcast live on DAZN, recently hosted the 36-year-old in the Nigerian capital of Lagos.

He insists they're close to agreeing a deal for the Brighton star to box there before year's end.

“I still think Chris is one of the biggest draws in boxing so we got him over here to have a look at what we’re doing,” Adamu told The Ring.

“We got him to meet the president and the big sponsors to let him understand what we're doing.

“He went out and about in the streets and absolutely loved it. And I now believe the next time we'll be seeing Chris Eubank in the ring should be in Nigeria at some point this year — and it will be a very huge matchup.”

It is now 10 months since Dr Adamu outlined ambitious plans to The Ring regarding his vision to stage an Anthony Joshua fight in Nigeria, which have so far failed to materialize.

He has since been behind events which have featured the likes of Lawrence Okolie and Dan Azeez but says his plans for Eubank Jr, a more commercially viable Brit, will be the biggest fight in Africa for more than 50 years.

Adamu added: “We haven’t had a fight as big as this since Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle and I think the matchup we will put together for him to fight here, outside of Joshua against Tyson Fury, will be the biggest fight this year.

“It will be happening in December because December is like our summer in Nigeria. We are looking at a legacy opponent and Chris loves legacy. He wants to make legacy and this sort of fight will do that. It is hard to be surprised in boxing these days but I believe when people see what we have planned they will be shocked.”

Eubank Jr (35-4, 25 KOs) is still yet to sign a contract for any fight in Nigeria but Adamu believes all parties could reach an agreement for the fight within a fortnight, with DAZN and Netflix both in the frame to broadcast the event.

He added: “The vibe I get from Chris is if he got another offer from another location but Nigeria is the same amount, he will pick Nigeria. He wants to fight here and I believe it will happen.

“Within the next couple of weeks, we should have it over the line. We'll be speaking with DAZN and also Netflix to see which one we're going to go with.”

[jameswilson]

His popularity means he can probably do a David Hayes and get decent money for fighting cans until a really big opportunity comes up.

Which to be fair he has done himself for large parts of his career.

[MPW]

I wouldn't be opposed to him taking a tune up fight, especially after the disaster with Benn. However, I fear it would turn into a series of meaningless tune up bouts while treading water for the "big opportunity" bout.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Chris Eubank Jr: Nigeria ring return negotiations 'coming along nicely'

Balmoral Promotions founder Ezekiel Adamu has provided further detail on Chris Eubank Jr's potential fight in Nigeria this year; Eubank Jr is considering his next steps after defeat to Conor Benn in November

Chris Eubank Jr's negotiations to fight in Nigeria this December are "coming along nicely," according to Balmoral Promotions founder Ezekiel Adamu.

Eubank Jr visited the African country in June as he assesses his next steps after defeat to rival Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November.

Adamu has made his desire to bring British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Moses Itauma to Nigeria clear, but the most realistic and attainable short-term target is Eubank.

Adamu hosted the British middleweight in Nigeria last month and the son of Chris Eubank Sr was mobbed during his walk through the streets of Mushin.

Even though he will not feature in Lagos on Friday when home favourite Taiwo Agbaje faces South Africa's Ayabonga Sonjika and WBO Africa cruiserweight champion Godday Appah takes on Lekan Muibi, Adamu has his sights set on the 36-year-old.

"Chris is as big as it comes. We've had big superstars, but for Chris to come here, it was actually emotional for me to get this guy," Amadu told the Press Association.

"We're looking at him coming here for a fight in December. We're still in negotiations, but that's coming along nicely.

"We had to bring him over here to see what we're doing, to meet the right people, to get the government support and get to meet the sponsors that are going to pay for the event, but exciting times ahead."

Eubank previously insisted he was a "free agent", however promoter Ben Shalom has claimed the Brit was in a long-term contract with Boxxer. Sky Sports News has contacted Boxxer for comment.

Lawrence Okolie fought on the Balmoral Promotions show in December and Amadu had discussions with Joshua's Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn before the former two-time heavyweight champion was involved in a car crash in Nigeria at the end of 2025.

Other big names are on a hefty shortlist being drawn up by Amadu for the coming years.

He said: "We're speaking with Deontay Wilder because Deontay found out his roots are from Nigeria, so he is also keen to fight here.

"We are speaking with Michael Ofo to see if in the future we can have Fabio Wardley and then there is (Daniel) Dubois.

"The options are endless for us here in Africa and at some point we'll see them.

"We've had Lawrence Okolie fight here, Tony Yoka fight here and hopefully we should have Chris Eubank Jr fight here at some point this year, so exciting times for African boxing."

[Eolaithe]

Would the shot version of Chris Eubank Jr. have a decent chance of defeating a 41-year old faded iteration of the WBC top-ten ranked Sergiy Derevyanchenko, with the Ukraine veteran winning only four bouts within the last 8½ years, with seven losses over the same timeframe?

After all, if Canelo beats Christian Mbili in September, he’d recapture the WBC super middleweight title. And the Mexican could justify a Eubank Jr. stadium fight if the Brit gained a top-ten ranking.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko would be one of the very few beatable opponents’ for Eubank Jr., the Ukraine veteran is probably the “softest” route for Chris to gain a WBC top-ten world ranking, and promoters could easily market the bout as a cross-roads fight where the loser retires.

The Ukraine veteran has decent highlight reel and reputation, since he was very competitive against the likes of GGG, Daniel Jacobs, Jaime Munguia and Carlos Adames. Mainstream UK fans would probably pay to see this matchup (if the bout was marketed correctly).

I don’t know what to think. Chris Eubank Jr. is badly-faded and shouldn’t be fighting, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s capable of delivering a slightly better performance than his appalling effort against Conor Benn in their rematch.

[JamesPhilips]

Would the shot version of Chris Eubank Jr. have a decent chance of defeating a 41-year old faded iteration of the WBC top-ten ranked Sergiy Derevyanchenko, with the Ukraine veteran winning only four bouts within the last 8½ years, with seven losses over the same timeframe?

After all, if Canelo beats Christian Mbili in September, he’d recapture the WBC super middleweight title. And the Mexican could justify a Eubank Jr. stadium fight if the Brit gained a top-ten ranking.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko would be one of the very few beatable opponents’ for Eubank Jr., the Ukraine veteran is probably the “softest” route for Chris to gain a WBC top-ten world ranking, and promoters could easily market the bout as a cross-roads fight where the loser retires.

The Ukraine veteran has decent highlight reel and reputation, since he was very competitive against the likes of GGG, Daniel Jacobs, Jaime Munguia and Carlos Adames. Mainstream UK fans would probably pay to see this matchup (if the bout was marketed correctly).

I don’t know what to think. Chris Eubank Jr. is badly-faded and shouldn’t be fighting, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s capable of delivering a slightly better performance than his appalling effort against Conor Benn in their rematch.

Is Sergio still top 10? He lost on points about a week ago

[Eolaithe]

Would the shot version of Chris Eubank Jr. have a decent chance of defeating a 41-year old faded iteration of the WBC top-ten ranked Sergiy Derevyanchenko, with the Ukraine veteran winning only four bouts within the last 8½ years, with seven losses over the same timeframe?

After all, if Canelo beats Christian Mbili in September, he’d recapture the WBC super middleweight title. And the Mexican could justify a Eubank Jr. stadium fight if the Brit gained a top-ten ranking.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko would be one of the very few beatable opponents’ for Eubank Jr., the Ukraine veteran is probably the “softest” route for Chris to gain a WBC top-ten world ranking, and promoters could easily market the bout as a cross-roads fight where the loser retires.

The Ukraine veteran has decent highlight reel and reputation, since he was very competitive against the likes of GGG, Daniel Jacobs, Jaime Munguia and Carlos Adames. Mainstream UK fans would probably pay to see this matchup (if the bout was marketed correctly).

I don’t know what to think. Chris Eubank Jr. is badly-faded and shouldn’t be fighting, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s capable of delivering a slightly better performance than his appalling effort against Conor Benn in their rematch.

Is Sergio still top 10? He lost on points about a week ago

He's still top-ten, but I suspect he may lose that ranking after that defeat. So it scuppers my idea. I hadn't checked Derevyanchenko's recent record when I considered him as an ideal future Eubank Jr. opponent. My bad!

[TheLeprechaun]

Eubank lost all kinds of respect and credibility losing to a 147 pound Conor Benn. This is a guy who got flattened by Liam Smith. Now after a pathetic Conor Benn performance I don't think he has any name value. Who is honestly going to tune in after some Eubank hype now? Are people really thick enough to fall for it?

I think that Korobov getting an injury early on in their fight is perhaps the luckiest turn of events I've seen in a boxing career. Korobov was already starting to school him and it would have been a very bad beating for Eubank. That fight goes down as the luckiest fight I've seen, considering I am 100% sure Eubank was on his way to an absolute drubbing.

[MPW]

Eubank lost all kinds of respect and credibility losing to a 147 pound Conor Benn. This is a guy who got flattened by Liam Smith. Now after a pathetic Conor Benn performance I don't think he has any name value. Who is honestly going to tune in after some Eubank hype now? Are people really thick enough to fall for it?

I think that Korobov getting an injury early on in their fight is perhaps the luckiest turn of events I've seen in a boxing career. Korobov was already starting to school him and it would have been a very bad beating for Eubank. That fight goes down as the luckiest fight I've seen, considering I am 100% sure Eubank was on his way to an absolute drubbing.

I agree that Korobov was going to give him a massive boxing lesson, and Eubank dodged a bullet like Neo in The Matrix. Korobov, like Pirog, has to be among the most unfortunate boxers to have injuries derail what could have been outstanding pro careers.

Eubank, on the other hand, might want to stay far away from Nigeria after what happened to Antwi last night.

[JamesPhilips]

Would the shot version of Chris Eubank Jr. have a decent chance of defeating a 41-year old faded iteration of the WBC top-ten ranked Sergiy Derevyanchenko, with the Ukraine veteran winning only four bouts within the last 8½ years, with seven losses over the same timeframe?

After all, if Canelo beats Christian Mbili in September, he’d recapture the WBC super middleweight title. And the Mexican could justify a Eubank Jr. stadium fight if the Brit gained a top-ten ranking.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko would be one of the very few beatable opponents’ for Eubank Jr., the Ukraine veteran is probably the “softest” route for Chris to gain a WBC top-ten world ranking, and promoters could easily market the bout as a cross-roads fight where the loser retires.

The Ukraine veteran has decent highlight reel and reputation, since he was very competitive against the likes of GGG, Daniel Jacobs, Jaime Munguia and Carlos Adames. Mainstream UK fans would probably pay to see this matchup (if the bout was marketed correctly).

I don’t know what to think. Chris Eubank Jr. is badly-faded and shouldn’t be fighting, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s capable of delivering a slightly better performance than his appalling effort against Conor Benn in their rematch.

Is Sergio still top 10? He lost on points about a week ago

He's still top-ten, but I suspect he may lose that ranking after that defeat. So it scuppers my idea. I hadn't checked Derevyanchenko's recent record when I considered him as an ideal future Eubank Jr. opponent. My bad!

No worries! Unfortunately Derevyanchenko will be an almost man…

[Ruthless-RKO]

[joshj909]

Well, that's embarrassing. Eubank Jr resorting to the opponent selection of Jake Paul.