Eubank Jr vs Yildirim: Easy night in store for British star
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Chris Eubank Jr. defends his IBO super middleweight title against Avni Yildirim on Saturday night in Hamburg, Germany.
The 12-round bout is a quarter-final in the World Boxing Super Series at 168lbs.
Eubank Jr. comes into this bout off the back of a win over Arthur Abraham in London. That was an eliminator for this tournament.
In truth, it was a fairly straightforward, predictable result. Eubank Jr. was simply too quick and too skilful for the big, slower opponent.
That was his seventh straight victory, making it 25 wins from 26 bouts – his sole loss coming against Billy Joe Saunders in 2014.
Eubank Jr. – 1/6 to win – has proven over the course of those three years that he is a hugely talented fighter.
He’s got a ferocious work-rate, he’s quick and technically-gifted, and has potent punching power. Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan and Nick Blackwell will testify to that.
However, since his move from middleweight to super middleweight, the Briton has struggled to put away bigger opponents.
That previous bout with Germany’s Abraham was a prime example. Abraham was the naturally bigger, more powerful man and the added weight made a difference.
Yildirim – 4/1 outsider – is a bit of an unknown quantity in terms of his quality, but he will clearly be the bigger man on the night.
A natural super middleweight, the Turk is essentially a copy of Abraham. It’s arguably the reason Eubank Jr. selected him at the Draft Gala.
He’ll come forward, but he’ll be slow and ponderous. Eubank Jr. should be able to pick him off at will, particularly if the fight goes past the first six rounds.
His superior footwork and tireless combinations could end it quickly, but as mentioned previously, the weight difference should mean a longer fight.
Eubank Jr. to win by Decision or Technical Decision at 10/11 is the bet.
At 28-years-old, the Englishman is no youngster and must start to move in quality against elite-level fighters.
A potential Super Series finale with George Groves could be huge. It would certainly give the best indication of far he has come along since that tight defeat to Saunders.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
