Chris Eubank Jr (30-2, 22 KOs) joins a stellar line up at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Saturday October 16 as he takes on Wanik Awdijan (28-1, 11 KOs).
Eubank Jr had been due to fight this past weekend but was left without an opponent when Anatoli Muratov was forced to withdraw on the day of the fight. Having remained in training, he and his coach Roy Jones Jr will now head north to face the German Middleweight contender Awdijan, live on Sky Sports.
“It was always the plan to get straight back out,” said Chris Eubank Jr. “The cancellation was completely unexpected, it’s a rare situation, it was frustrating, but I get it – some things are out of everybody’s control. Now, I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and fighting in Newcastle.
“My opponent Wanik Awdijan is a serious guy. I’ve watched a couple of his fights now. He’s got a good record, he’s 6’2”, he knows what he’s doing and will bring a different challenge, but it’s nothing we can’t take care of. At this stage, I’ve not had a full camp to work on things for this fight, but I’ve been working hard with Roy and I will have more than enough to get the win over the line.”
“He tried to duck me before because he was too afraid but now there’s nowhere for him to hide from me anymore,” said Wanik Awdijan. “I’ll make him remember me as his worst nightmare. I’m counting down the days. He better be prepared!”
“After the disappointment of last weekend, we’re delighted to have secured Chris another fight so soon,” said Kalle Sauerland, Head of Global Boxing at Wasserman. “Newcastle is going to be rocking next Saturday as he joins a bumper bill of boxing at the Utilita Arena. They’ve had the Saudi takeover and now it’s time for the Eubank takeover. Chris faces a tough test against Wanik Awdijan, a former IBF Youth Champion who is unbeaten in his last 21 fights, but this is his time to shine. We expect Chris to be at his destructive best as he continues his quest for Middleweight supremacy.”
“We’re delighted to add Chris Eubank Jr to an action-packed Newcastle bill, topped by Savannah Marshall’s world title fight next Saturday, live on Sky Sports,” said Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development for Sky Sports.
“It was incredibly unfortunate that Chris couldn’t fight last weekend but fighter safety comes first. Now we welcome him back in an intriguing clash with Wanik Awdijan. Chris has big aspirations of fighting the world’s top middleweights – and he’ll be eager to deliver an explosive display on a red-hot night in the north east.
“Hughie Fury faces Christian Hammer in a crucial heavyweight clash, while Lewis Ritson returns in a must-win fight with Hank Lundy, and Savannah takes centre stage as she defends her WBO middleweight belt against Lolita Muzeya.”
“This was already a fantastic fight card stacked from top to bottom with world champions, top contenders and rising stars. The addition of Chris Eubank Jr confirms this as a can’t-miss event and probably the UK fight card of the year,” said BOXXER founder Ben Shalom.
Eubank Jr joins a stacked card on October 16 in Newcastle which features WBO Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall (10-0, 8 KOs) defending against the undefeated Lolita Muzeya (16-0, 8 KOs), heavyweight contender Hughie Fury (25-3, 14 KOs) against German power-puncher Christian Hammer (26-7, 16 KOs), and local hero Lewis Ritson (21-2-0, 12 KOs) against gritty Philadelphia veteran ‘Hammerin’ Hank Lundy (31-9-1, 14 KOs).
