Chris Eubank Jnr plans to fight again as soon as April, and again mentioned James DeGale and Billy Joe Saunders in his pursuit of a significant fight.
The 27-year-old, who won the lightly-regarded IBO title via a 10th-round stoppage of Australia’s Renold Quinlan in his first fight at super-middleweight on Saturday, plans to return to the gym this week in preparation for what he hopes will be a busy year.
Saturday’s fight at London’s Olympia was also the first on the new ITV Box Office platform, giving him the potential to build a momentum that never existed amid uncomfortable promotional relationships with Matchroom and Frank Warren, as well as the financial draw required to make such match-ups.
“We want to be back out as early as April,” said his father Eubank Snr, 50.
“If we can make this fight with James DeGale, that we shall do it. By April we will be ready .
“If he’s not ready by April, don’t worry we’ll wait. We will give him a few more weeks but there is no escape. We have been marinading him. I can smell it.
“I sent out a message to Badou Jack and James DeGale and asked them to choose which one of them would want to fight Junior once he wins his world championship.
“They haven’t actually got back to me and so we are choosing James DeGale. We have seasoned him already.
“We’re calling you out. It’s not easy to avoid. When you’re a fighter you are compelled to fight when you are being called out. Otherwise you look like the one thing you have been fighting against all your life, which is appear to be a punk.”
Of DeGale, Eubank Jnr added: “I’ve said it from day one: I’ve sparred with the guy many years ago back before I was a pro and I dealt with him. I know what I can do to him.
“It’s a fight the public want to see and now we have the platform. Let’s do it.”
He has long spoken of his desire for a rematch with Saunders, who narrowly outpointed him in 2014, and reiterated: “I know Saunders is starving as well: no fans, fighting in leisure centres in front of 300 people.
“He needs to fight and we all want that fight, me more than anybody.”