Chris Eubank Jr is expected to return before the end of the year as he seeks to bounce back from a one-sided defeat to Conor Bennand now a former world champion who has not fought in over four years has confirmed his interest in the clash.

Hampered by the weight limit and rehydration clause, Eubank continued his family’s success over the Benns with a decision triumph over his cross-generational rival last April, replicating the efforts of his father, Eubank Sr, who trumped Nigel Benn 35 years prior.

However, in the rematch back in November, Eubank Jr looked a shadow of himself as he was comprehensively outboxed and outfought by Benn, reaching the final bell by the skin of his teeth before a lopsided verdict was formally confirmed.

Since then, Eubank Jr has shunned the idea of retirement and has instead been linked to a catchweight affair with Australia’s Michael Zerafa, who signed with Matchroom Boxing last week and announced an August appearance on the Teremoana Teremoana vs. DeAndre Savage undercard in Queensland.

Whilst that contest may be presumably planned to tee up a scrap between Eubank and Zerafa at the end of the yearformer IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook told Boxing King Media that he would be willing to come out of retirement and take on his fellow Briton, if the offer is fair.

“Absolutely, [I am retired unless the right offer comes along]. If the right offer comes, I will fight. We have got history, me and Chris Eubank Jnr.”

“The offer still stands, if we can be sensible and they can give me what I am worth, then that fight can happen. If it doesn’t, I am happy.”

Brook hasn’t fought since his stoppage win over bitter rival Amir Khan back in February 2022, after a career which saw him also share the ring with the likes of Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, Errol Spence and Shawn Porter.

As for Eubank Jr, he continues to claim that he is a free agent, but Boxxer’s Ben Shalom has maintained that he has a contract in place with the polarising middleweight and that he will be promoting his next fight.

Oleksandr Usyk’s most recent performance has left fans wondering if he could be there for the taking, and now former Usyk opponent Tony Bellew has shared his thoughts on whether Moses Itauma should pursue a fight with the Ukrainian.

Usyk suffered a close shave when he was shockingly pushed to the limit by Rico Verhoeven back in Maydespite the challenger having just one prior boxing fight to his name before providing Usyk his ‘toughest fight’ to date.

Since then, 39-year-old Usyk has opted to vacate all three of his heavyweight world titles, as he begins to wind his career down, with a clash against Deontay Wilder being suggested as his farewell fight.

If Usyk wishes to leave his mark on the next generation, he could accept a showdown with Itauma, who is being tipped to be both his successor and a long-reigning heavyweight ruler.

Speaking on ‘Fight Your Corner, in partnership with Midnite’Bellew declared that Itauma, who will face Filip Hrgovic in Augustis not ready for a clash against the tactical mastermind due to the fact that he has never boxed beyond six rounds.

“Moses wouldn’t go near him at the minute. I think that it would be absolutely insane to throw Moses Itauma into Usyk after not going past six [rounds] yet.

“Would you throw a fighter like that in with someone like him [Usyk]? His game plan would be, ‘I have only got to see past six rounds with you, kid. I am going to take you to places that you have never been’.”

Bellew then went on to pump the brakes on the Itauma hype train, reminding everyone that the 21-year-old is yet to beat an elite heavyweight in his 14-fight career.

“[His] best win is Jermaine Franklin. Jermaine Franklin is known for losing.”

“That [building fighters up] is one thing that Frank [Warren] does well, nobody can knock that. He built a fighter really well, he generates the hype train to a point where there is no going back and that is where Moses is at now.”

Itauma could score a career best win when tasked with Hrgovic on Saturday, August 29, with victory over the Croatian expected to tee up either a WBA or IBF world title challenge.

“Yeah, he was called the greatest, but he’s not quite the greatest on this list,” Atlas said on his channel of Ali. “He’s damn close. But he was great. He was special. He was a pioneer. He was part of history. He did as much outside the game as he did inside the ring.”

Atlas credited Ali’s unmatched speed, his return from a three-and-a-half-year exile and his ability to regain the heavyweight championship after losing much of his athletic prime. He described the first half of Ali’s career as a showcase of extraordinary skill and the second as a testament to his determination.

For Atlas, however, Louis’ resume ultimately carried greater weight.

He called Louis the greatest finisher in heavyweight history, praising his balance, precision and ability to close the show whenever an opponent was hurt. Atlas also pointed to the historical importance of Louis’ first-round destruction of Schmeling on June 22, 1938, months before the outbreak of World War II.

“This man don’t only have to fight a guy who already beat him, he’s got to defend the world,” Atlas said. “The whole world was weighing on the shoulders of Joe Louis. He annihilated Max Schmeling.”

Atlas argued that no heavyweight has ever entered a fight under greater pressure than Louis, with the bout taking on enormous political significance as Nazi Germany promoted Schmeling as a symbol of its claimed racial superiority. Louis answered with one of the most decisive victories in boxing history, stopping Schmeling in just 2:04 of the opening round.

Atlas’ top five heavyweights are Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Rocky Marciano and George Foreman. He also left an open spot on his list for Oleksandr Usyk, saying the Ukrainian has already earned a place among the all-time greats but should complete his career before being ranked.