Chris Eubank Jr continues campaign at middleweight, paving the way for two British boxers
Chris Eubank Jr has vacated his IBO world super-middleweight title as he continues his campaign at middleweight.
The next in line in the International Boxing Organisation's rankings are Brit boxers #1 Rocky Fielding and #2 John Ryder.
The International Boxing Organization announced on December 17 that the IBO world super middleweight title held by Chris Eubank Jr has been vacated with the Brit moving to middleweight as he seeks out future opportunities within that division.
Eubank Jr won the IBO world title back in February of 2017 and made successful defenses against world-class opposition such as Artur Abraham and Avni Yildirim. He regained the world title two years after winning it initially with a career-best performance against former world champion and Olympic Gold Medalist James DeGale.
IBO President Ed Levine commented on Eubank Jr's decision to compete at middleweight and the future status of the 168-pound belt, "We have been proud to have Chris Eubank Jr as our champion on two different occasions. He has represented the IBO in a fantastic way and we wish him all the best in his campaign down in the middleweight division.
“The IBO has made the decision that the vacant title will now be contested between the two leading available contenders with the preferences going to the intercontinental champion and suitably ranked regional champions. The whole point in winning those titles in the first place is to give those fighters the opportunities to one day fight for an IBO world title.
“Therefore we hope to announce an exciting fight for the IBO world super middleweight title in the very near future that will feature two top contenders battling for the belt.”
Levine could be referring to Russian boxer Evgeny Shvedenko, who is the current IBO Inter-Continental super-middleweight champion. A match up between Shvedenko and either Fielding or Ryder could be possible in 2020.