By Edward Chaykovsky
British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. (23-1, 18KOs) has once again ripped out at IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (36-0, 33KOs).
On Saturday night, Golovkin picked up a fifth round stoppage over IBF welterweight champion Kell 'Special K' Brook (36-1, 25KOs), who moved up by thirteen pounds to face Golovkin at the full middleweight limit of 160-pounds.
Brook did very well in the fight, but suffered a fractured eye socket in the second round and the injury grew worse as the fight continued. His trainer Dominic Ingle unexpectedly threw in the towel in the fifth after he fighter began to experience issues with his vision.
Brook was not the original opponent who was slated to face Golovkin on Saturday night. Eubank Jr. was the opponent of choice for that date at the O2 Arena.
There were negotiations for weeks between the handlers of Golovkin and Eubank Jr. In the end, the discussions fell apart after Eubank Jr., and his father/manager Chris Eubank Sr., were unable to reach an agreement on the terms with their own promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport.
After Eubank Jr. allowed a contract deadline to pass, Hearn reached out to another fighter in his stable, Brook, who immediately accepted the deal.
Following Golovkin's win over Brook, Eubank quickly took the social networks and issued a direct challenge mixed in with a warning - and at the same time he took a underhanded shot at Brook and his trainer. After Brook secured the opportunity, Eubank exchanged words with him several times.
"Golovkin, if you want a fight with a real British middleweight... come get some. My corner don't own towels," Eubank stated.