In this week’s Fight Talk we explore whether Chris Eubank Jr can reignite his career after signing with a new promoter and Anthony Joshua says he has five more years left in the sport.

‘Now is my time’ – Eubank Jr

Is now the time for Chris Eubank Jr to finally fulfil his potential?

The son of a British boxing legend and a skilful and charismatic fighter in his own right, the 31-year-old middleweight signed with a new promotional company this week, linking up with Team Sauerland.

But, so far, his career hasn’t really gone the way many expected.

Having turned professional in 2011, Eubank’s blistering hand speed and uncanny resemblance to his dad, Chris Eubank Sr, sparked the interest of fight fans.

And as videos of brutal sparring sessions with then world champion Carl Froch circulated, Eubank was considered one of the hottest prospects in British boxing.

He has lost just twice – a close decision to rival Billy Joe Saunders in 2014 and to another fellow Briton George Groves in the World Boxing Super Series competition four years later – but has fought only three times since that last loss.

The Brighton-born fighter beat former world champion and Olympic gold medallist James DeGale in February 2019 and recorded a technical knockout victory over Matt Korobov in December 2019 after the Russian injured his shoulder in the second round.

With inactivity and regular changes in promotional companies, boxing fans seem to have lost their patience with Eubank…

He is now based in the United States and trained by four-weight world champion, and boxing royalty, Roy Jones Jr.

“I look forward to the big fights that I crave. I’ve spent the last 12 months in the gym and I feel better than ever,” Eubank said.

“I’m ready to take over the middleweight division.

“I want all the champions – Ryota Murata, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, Gennady Golovkin – put me in the ring with any of them.”

Whether those fights materialise or not remains to be seen.

Joshua has ‘five more years’ in the sport

Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been talking about retirement this week.

But before you get too disheartened that a blockbuster bout with fellow Briton Tyson Fury won’t happen, Joshua says he still has five years left in the sport.

“This isn’t the start of my career. I’m coming towards the end of my career,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Five years left and that’s basically an Olympic cycle. I’ve got an Olympic cycle and a little bit more left, so when you see the next Olympics happen is when I’ll be coming to the end of my career and the next generation will be coming through.”

Meanwhile Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says he is “90% ” confident an Joshua-Fury clash for the undisputed heavyweight crown will happen this year.

“I don’t see anything getting in the way,” Hearn told Boxing Social.

With talks between the two teams seemingly progressing well, Fury couldn’t help but have a little dig at Joshua on Twitter this week…

Although we also saw a serious side to the ‘Gypsy King,’ as he shared these words of wisdom on the sacrifices a professional boxer has to make…

Garcia calls out ‘Tank’

After American lightweight Ryan Garcia’s win over Briton Luke Campbell this month, he became mandatory for countryman and WBC champion Devin Haney.

Garcia, however, doesn’t seem too fussed about taking on Haney.

“Belts don’t mean anything nowadays. I could take somebody off the street and, if I play it politically correct, I’ll make them a champion,” he told SiriusXM Boxing.

But if you think Garcia is looking for an easy fight next, think again.

During an appearance on a podcast with heavyweight great Mike Tyson, Garcia video-called Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and the pair exchanged a few words, before agreeing to fight each other next.

Haney’s promoter Eddie Hearn wasn’t too pleased, prompting a response from Garcia…

Paul v Paul?

And finally, the fight game often runs in the family and there are a host of boxing brothers who have conquered the sport.

There’s Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Rafael and Juan Manuel Marquez, Michael and Leon Spinks and, erm, Logan and Jake Paul?

The YouTubers have ventured into the world of boxing in recent times, but they wouldn’t actually fight each other, right?

After Jake, 23, labelled Logan, 25, a “fake fighter,” the elder sibling replied with a challenge.

“OK, let’s box, because Jake is the kid that gets beat up by my sparring partners,” Logan replied on his YouTube channel.

Last week, Logan called out Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. But first he is fighting former pound-for-pound star Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition. Jake, meanwhile, wants to fight UFC’s Irish superstar Conor McGregor.

We can’t keep up.