Chris Eubank Jr says former rival Billy Joe Saunders has not improved and anticipates he will be stopped when he faces Canelo Alvarez.
WBO Super Middleweight champion, Saunders tackles pound-for-pound great and unified WBA ‘Super’, WBC and Ring Magazine titlist, Canelo at the AT & T Stadium in Texas on May 8.
Saunders shared a dramatic British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight title battle with Eubank Jr in 2014, winning by split decision and has remained undefeated since, securing world titles in two weight classes.
’Next GEN,’ who makes his ring return a week earlier against Marcus Morrison under new trainer, Roy Jones Jr has dismissed the 31-year-old Southpaw’s chances of producing a stunning upset against the Mexican, but feels he has the ability to inflict a first defeat on Alvarez since his 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr, should they meet in the future.
“I don’t really feel like Saunders has improved since he last fought me,” Eubank Jr told talkSPORT.
“I think he is the same guy. I am levels and levels above what I was when I first got into the ring with Saunders.
“I feel like he is the same guy and that guy can’t beat somebody like Canelo.
“Somebody who is going to be successful against Canelo, you have to have a very different mindset, you have to have a very different approach to the average boxer.
“I don’t think Saunders has what it takes. I have what it takes, I know the way to beat Canelo.”
The pair were set to meet in May 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic derailing those plans. Alvarez claimined two wins in the interim over former champion, Callum Smith on points in December followed up with a third round stoppage of mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February.
And Eubank Jr believes Saunders, who overcame Martin Murray over the distance in November will become Alvarez’s 38th knockout victim and is even willing to bet a sizeable amount on that outcome.
“I’m sure I will get my shot within the next couple of years. But it is a very bad fight for Saunders and, if it happens, he is going to get knocked out.
“Saunders is going to get hurt. I’m going to be putting a £10,000 bet on Canelo to knock Saunders out.
“That’s what I think is going to happen; I think Saunders is going to get knocked out.”
