Chris Eubank Jr v Liam Williams: Ben Shalom says winner will have world title shot in sights

The winner of Chris Eubank Jr's middleweight fight with Liam Williams will fire themselves into world title contention, promoter Ben Shalom says.

Shalom revealed middleweight great and IBF champion Gennady Golovkin was a potential opponent for the winner.

"A world title shot is on the line," Shalom told BBC Sport.

"Chris is a fighter who a lot of these fighters want to avoid and it can be difficult. But we're confident and looking at the winner of Ryota Murata and Golovkin. There's massive fights out there for Chris - Billy Joe Saunders and even Kell Brook.

"But from speaking to Top Rank and the Golovkin team, we're looking at the winner fighting the winner of Golovkin and Murata."

He added: "They both have world title ambitions, they both want to be world champions. Chris sees this as his stepping stone into a genuine pay-per-view star on Sky and Liam Williams will see this as his last chance really."

Eubank, 32, has long chased a fight with the biggest middleweights on the planet, but the two losses of his career came at crucial periods.

A 2014 split decision defeat against Billy Joe Saunders blemished his then 18-0 unbeaten record, while his first world title shot against George Groves ended in a one-sided defeat.

Neither loss tarnished Eubank's reputation as he emerged as an all-action, tireless fighter, but he has fallen just short at world title level.

Williams, 29, too has stumbled on the big stage. Back-to-back defeats by Liam Smith in 2017 desperately frustrated the Welshman before his first world title shot against WBO champion Demetrius Andrade in April ended in a points loss.

Shalom confirmed there was a rematch clause between Williams and Eubank, but insisted: "I don't expect that to be activated at all. This is a winner-takes-all event."

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Marshall v Shields in Newcastle

Claressa Shields defends her WBA, WBC and IBF belts this weekend in her first fight in the UK

Claressa Shields fights in the UK as a pro for the first time against Ema Kozin defending her WBA, WBC, IBF and Ring magazine middleweight belts.

The undefeated American, who also competes in MMA, is regarded as one of, if not the best, female fighters in the world and will take on Savannah Marshall in an undisputed middleweight bout in June in Newcastle - potentially at St James' Park.

"We're speaking to Newcastle football club at the moment to host perhaps the first women pay-per-view fight but also one of the biggest fights in the sport of all time," Shalom said.

"It's such an interesting fight. To be honest I don't think we've seen Claressa tested enough, we don't really know what she can do. She's been so far and away the best female fighter in her divisions, she's had to move across sports.

"I can't see anything stopping Savannah on UK soil. She has all the momentum behind her."

Shields must first beat Slovenian fighter Kozin, who is 23 years old and unbeaten in 22 fights as a pro.

"Claressa will be looking to send a message," Shalom predicted, with Marshall set to be in attendance for the fight.

Genuine grudge matches

Liam Williams lost his world title shot against Demetrius Andrade last year

Shalom is not expecting any fireworks between Shields and Marshall at ringside, but just like the main event the two women are engaged in what Shalom describes as a "genuine" grudge match.

"Because Savannah beat her in the amateurs, that could mean she has her number. That can be tough for someone like Claressa to handle," Shalom explained. "There is genuine animosity there.

"When fighters know each other from the amateurs and are constantly compared and asked about each other, it creates this rivalry you don't have to fabricate. They're very, very different people which has created this genuine dislike that all these big rivalries need."

Williams and Eubank have a bitter rivalry that could exceed Shields and Marshall's. The middleweights, who have twice seen their fight postponed, have exchanged insults on social media, in person and at news conferences.

"I think it's ever since Chris was asked about Liam [in an interview] and he said, 'Liam who?' He didn't seem to know who Liam was," Shalom said.

"Ever since then Liam has had a genuine dislike for Chris. It's almost like Savannah and Claressa - polar opposites in personality and what they believe in. It's genuine bad blood."

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