Chris Eubank Jr is fully aware of what it takes to share a ring with Billy Joe Saunders. Back in 2014, the opinionated fighters went 12 hard rounds with each other with Saunders taking the nod by a narrow margin at the end. Kalle Sauerland, Eubank's promoter, insists that a rematch between the pair is a big fight.
With Saunders’ mindset currently occupied with deterring the threat of Canelo Alvarez, a fight being screened exclusively live on DAZN except in Mexico, any talk of a potential showdown with Eubank Jr will have to be placed on hold. Despite that issue, Sauerland maintains that the fight contains huge appeal regardless of the result in Dallas.
"Win or lose, both Canelo and Billy Joe Saunders [are potential targets]," said Sauerland when interviewed by Sky Sports. "Billy Joe, there's a big history there between the pair of them. It's a stadium filler. It's a massive fight, win or lose for Billy Joe at the weekend. That's a huge fight out there and I'm sure it's one that will happen. It's a question of course when?”
Ahead of Saunders’ fight with Canelo, Eubank Jr has been vocal on social media sharing an image of a £10,000 bet placed on the Mexican to knockout his long-time rival. Saunders responded to this by offering Marcus Morrison the same figure if he was able to beat the Brighton man last weekend, a task he failed despite a spirited effort. Sauerland has been watching the exchanges closely.
"I think they both seem to have that rapport between them, where they clearly watch what the other is doing and they get under each other's skin, and they seem to almost enjoy it, in a certain way. The build-up to that fight, to a part two, we all know part one was a great fight.
"It was two tales told in one fight. The first half of the fight, Billy Joe was very much the upper hand. Second half was Eubank very much the upper hand. When you get two fighters who get under each other's skin that much, it's only a question of time before they meet in the ring again, because they both want to."